BIRK CITY, Ky. — The term “historic flooding” has been used to describe the weather event that swept across Kentucky starting about two weeks ago.

Many Kentuckians have been around long enough to remember the other floods that fall into that category. Spectrum News 1 went out with a local historian and farmer in Daviess County to survey the flooding still affecting that area and describe how it compares to other great floods over the years.

It was a little too choppy for Grady Ebelhar’s liking to take the boat out earlier this week, so he took the tractor instead.

“It’s about eight feet deep right here on both sides,” Ebelhar said, driving through a flooded area outside of Birk City.

That eight feet was after the water had fallen over the last few days. Even after it goes all the way back down, how long it will take to clean everything up is hard to say.

“It’s a shame, it’s a mess,” Ebelhar said.

As a farmer and local historian, Ebelhar knows the area, having literally written the history of Sorgho, Stanley and Birk City. So when people say this is the highest water they’ve seen since a given year, he can tell them the year.

“I just like history. And I’ve been here my whole life. And of course, worked with my dad all those years. I heard a lot of stories, you know,” he said. “This flood right here should be about as high as the 1945 and the 1964, because the Green River had so much water in it, it backed up.”

But, it wasn’t as high as 1937, as Ebelhar said the “old timers” in the area have described to him.

The “Hagan House” as it’s known to locals was built in 1907 by Murray Hagan. The house experienced the great floods of 1913, 1937 and all that followed. 

Current owner of the home, Erin Bleemel, said her parents bought the home in 2007. She and her husband bought it from them in 2014.

Bleemel learned a lot of the history from Ebelhar. She said the water got very high for this latest flood, too.

“It was up to our front step,” she said. “It got all the way up to the sandbags on this side.”

Kentuckians helping each other out has been a common sight throughout the flooding event. That was true for the Bleemel family and their church, Abundant Life.

“They came out, and we put out about 1,000 sand bags. They really showed up for us. It was amazing,” Bleemel said. “We kind of knew God will get us through this one way or another.”

Separated from the hardship this has brought on many people, Bleemel has learned from her friend to appreciate the history, and will pass that along to her kids.

“I told them I was like you have no idea what you’re going through right now. When you’re older, you’ll realize how neat this is,” she said.

Ebelhar said he hopes others in the area will eventually be able to appreciate that aspect as well. If they stick around.

“After every big flood, there’s people selling their house down here, you know,” he said.

For everyone in the area’s sake, he hopefully won’t be comparing the next flood to this latest one anytime soon.

Daviess County EMA Director Andy Ball said roads on the western side of the county closer to the Green River will take longer to clear up because that river will have a slower decline compared to the Ohio River.

The state contact number for unmet needs and volunteers is 502-607-6665.

Daviess county is asking people to send their damage assessments to either rsanders@daviessky.org or dbell@daviessky.org

And people seeking muck out kits can call 270-685-8448.