Such a timely and terrifying account of the major flooding that occurred in Kentucky, USA in 2023. It echos what happened to many of the communities in North Carolina, USA in 2024 - this is even where the author is from and I wonder if there are updated versions of the text that will be released to support the broader Appalachian region recovery.
This collection of memories, stories, poems and other happenings during the several days really highlight the diverse people and circumstances This area was not prone to flooding and was ill-prepared for it. The rain just started in the afternoon and didn't stop till towns, villages, buildings, homes, families and lives were wiped from the map entirely.
As I'm hearing more about the Western NC clean-up and recovery, I would have also liked to bear witness to some of the ongoing struggles from the community. How are they coping months later with the insurmountable devastation and restoration workload?

This was a really interesting book about the school named h.I n d m a n which What is a settlement school in eastern kentucky. They had a very bad flood there.When an appalachian writing workshop was going on. Learned a lot about this school and how it was found it, especially for children who had learning disabilities.Or disabilities. In this school was flooded many times and they've lost many things but they keep going on. I like how the writer.
Was talking about this and how she was from the area and would come back to this workshop. It must be..
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Really hard when you have nothing and this is your only glimmer of hope and it gets keeps getting destroyed, but you know, you have to rebuild it to keep going on. With the tradition of these schools in Eastern Kentucky.. The author talked about a lot of people in this book and was very interesting to find out how they're prospective of this Flood was. This was a really great book and I'm glad I read it. And I learned a lot about Eastern Kentucky.

After reading a lot of natural disaster stories told from a single perspective, the diverse array of narrators in Troublesome Rising is deeply impactful. Disasters have an effect of leveling entire neighborhoods in a uniform way, but their effect on each individual is personal and differentiated.

On the night of July 27-28, 2002, Troublesome Creek went from a 6 inch trickle to a 20 foot flash flood related to heavy rain and exacerbated by deforestation and mountaintop removal mining. The water tore through Hindman, KY, killing 17 in that county, and badly damaging the Hindman Settlement School. This anthology relates some of the experiences of those with connections to the school, both flood survivors and those who watched in horror from afar.

There are just too many natural disasters, especially those fueled by human behavior, and they all deserve to be remembered. This book provides an insight into being impacted by disaster and working toward recovery. It’s a vital chronicle of history and human experience.

In late July 2022, a catastrophic flash flood claimed the lives of more than forty people and devastated homes and communities in Central Appalachia. The flood also impacted attendees at the forty-fifth annual Appalachian Writers' Workshop at Hindman Settlement School in eastern Kentucky. This book includes essays and poems by folks who were affected.
I liked the photos. They added dimension and humanity to the stories.
So many of the essays also brought to mind a recent flood. History does indeed repeat itself.

Throughout the stories, poetry, nonfiction narrative, and photography presented in this volume, the heartbreaking tragedy of the Eastern Kentucky flooding of July 2022 is unforgettably vivified and made indelible in memory. The members of the Appalachian Writers Workshop contributed their memories and experiences, and there also exists a website to collect additional input.

“Troublesome Rising: A Thousand-Year Flood in Eastern Kentucky,” edited by Melissa Helton, is a powerful anthology that captures the profound impact of a catastrophic flash flood that struck Central Appalachia in late July 2022. This devastating event claimed the lives of over forty individuals and left countless homes and communities in ruins. The anthology serves as both a historical document and an exploration of the emotional and cultural ramifications of such disasters.

The flood occurred during the forty-fifth annual Appalachian Writers’ Workshop at Hindman Settlement School, where participants were forced to seek higher ground as waters surged. The school itself suffered significant losses, including classrooms, housing, and valuable artifacts from its archives. As the floodwaters receded, it became clear that many lives had been irrevocably altered.