Floods Devastate Appalachian Region of Kentucky

PR Log (Press Release) – May 15, 2009 – (Floyd County, KY) -- Last weekend's flash floods in Eastern Kentucky and in West Virginia, hit residents of the Appalachian region hard, causing tremendous damage, homes and trailers flooded, personal belongs ruined, mud everywhere, and an air of despair over the area this week.

Visitors to the Floyd County area in Kentucky, Amy and Rob Guerrieri, visiting from Connecticut and working with the non-profits R.A.M.P. – Rockin’ Appalachian Mom Project, and CAP – Christian Appalachian Project, saw devastation beyond belief.  Homes ruined, major appliances set out on porches to dry, furniture and mattresses caked with mud, and people in this hilly and somewhat remote area in need of assistance.

“What we’ve seen is beyond anything I’ve ever experienced,” said Amy Guerrieri, who with her husband Rob, was in the area this week to visit families for R.A.M.P. - a charity she started to help families in need. “People keep asking us ‘where is FEMA? When will someone be here to help us?’  This area of the country is in dire need of help, yet no one has been here on a large scale to assess the damage and lend support services.”  

Guerrieri did note that the National Guard was in the area earlier in the week, assessing the damage, and the American Red Cross had arrived, setting up two trucks to provide assistance, food and water to displaced residents.  CAP also has about a dozen volunteers on the ground in the region, trying to reach out to families and individuals that have suffered damage from the floods, but Candace Sword, head of Donor Relations for CAP, noted that more help is needed to reach residents that may be up in the hills and in remote areas that are not easily assessable to the main roads.

“This area is unrecognizable,” said Mrs. Guerrieri, comparing the towns and hills to when she was in the area two months ago.  Guerrieri, who is founder and CEO of a children’s beverage product, ROCKIN’ WATER™, a vitamin enhanced water for children, was inspired by a national news program that aired in February that depicted the plight of families in Appalachia struggling with nutritional needs and making ends meet financially.  In a matter of two short weeks, Guerrieri and her community of Old Greenwich, Conn., generated a truck-full of 11 pallets of donated items, including clothing, school supplies, personal hygiene items, and ROCKIN’ WATER, to take to Martin and Floyd Counties in Kentucky, two of the most poverty-stricken areas of Appalachia and in the United States.  On that previous trip, Guerrieri brought with her three other Moms and co-workers to help with the donation effort.  On this current trip, Mrs. Guerrieri was able to motivate her town to give even more – bringing with her 24 pallets of donated items – more than twice what the group generated in donations previously.  For this trip, Guerrieri also brought her husband Rob, so he could see first-hand the need of families in the area, both nutritionally and for material and financial support.  Guerrieri has pledged her support to the area and has launched a non-profit organization called R.A.M.P. – Rockin’ Appalachian Mom Project – to help spearhead the donation efforts and is committed to the nutritional, physical, financial and emotional support of children and families in the Appalachian region.

To help families affected by the flood, or to support R.A.M.P.’s ongoing efforts in the area, visit www.Rockin-Water.com or call 203- 940-1152.