Frankfort prepares for the crest of the Kentucky River, record high

FRANKFORT, Ky. (LEX 18) — The Kentucky River is set to crest at 49.5 feet and Frankfort city leaders have been working hard to make sure everyone in the area is safe.

It’s been a race against time for Frankfort after flood waters rushed into the city following heavy rain the last several days.

“It’s been a lot. It’s been a lot so at this point. We’re mostly just focused on persons. You know yesterday was property. Everybody was, especially along the river people are used to flooding in Franklin County,” explains Franklin County Judge Executive Michael Mueller.

Frankfort faces the threat of more flooding as the Kentucky River is predicted to crest at 49.5 feet Monday morning: a record high.

The city’s floodwall system is designed to withstand 51 feet of water. Officials have been working around the clock to secure the wall.

Areas that may flood are North and South Frankfort, Holmes Street, Compton Drive and Bellepoint.

“What we’re focused on right now is hopefully tonight and the middle of the night it’s gonna crest and then as it starts going down, we’re gonna kind of get things set up to help people,” said Mueller.

A curfew has been put in place in Frankfort from 8 p.m. Sunday to 6 a.m. Monday to keep everyone off the roads.

Many businesses are closed Monday, but some will be open to offer food and a helping hand.

Porter’s is a community space. We try to keep everything focused around the community that we service right here in South Frankfort and so it’s just part of what we do,” explains Tiffany Seppenfield, the owner of Pourter’s Self Serve Tap House.

Seppenfield gave out 45 cases of water on Sunday and plans to give out 80 more. “We had guys in and out today that were like ‘where’s the next place that somebody’s posted they need help’ and you know they come in, dry off and then they’re back to the next place.”

“We’re just asking people to stay at home if you can. We have a lot of people in the community that need places to stay. If you know somebody that needs a place to stay, please open your home,” stresses Mueller. “It’s going to be for a while. It’s not going to go down for a couple of days and then the whole cleanup is going to start.”

Two shelters are set up in Frankfort:

1. Senior Citizens Center
2. Franklin County High School