RISE is a series of conversations that focus on the realities of the present and prospects for the future of Eastern Kentucky. It came about in response to the unprecedented flooding experienced by several Eastern Kentucky communities in July of 2022 and the myriad questions and dilemmas the flood event has raised. The series will explore what contributed to the disaster, how communities are responding and what leadership, programs and resources will be needed to address the challenges and embrace the opportunities ahead.
This series is hosted by Tom Martin, host of Eastern Standard, WEKU’s weekly current affairs program. The RISE team is committed to providing clear and accurate information, raising policy issues and amplifying local voices as Eastern Kentucky navigates a future made less certain by climate change.
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Do surface mines and mountaintop removal sites worsen flooding in Eastern Kentucky coalfield communities? -
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The 8th episode of RISE, the Eastern Standard documentary series, focuses on a proposed US Forest Service logging project in the Jellicos, part of the Cumberland Mountains in the Daniel Boone National Forest on the Kentucky-Tennessee border. -
RISE Episode 7 focuses on the debate over long-standing plans to build another federal prison in eastern Kentucky -
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In Episode 5 of RISE, we take a look at the disaster response to the flood, how residents are recovering and lessons learned on how to be better prepared for a natural disaster. -
Episode Four of RISE explores the psychology of crisis and the mental health impacts of the July flood on survivors who lost everything, children, and whole communities destroyed by floodwaters. -
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Episode One captures what happened in the early morning of July 28, 2022 when several communities in Eastern Kentucky experienced record flooding that eventually claimed 44 lives and left thousands homeless.
