{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://halrogers.house.gov/press-releases?ID=94FF1B31-0FDB-4860-9609-019CCB507399", "Congressman Rogers, Army Corps Commander Met with State and Local Leaders in Letcher County on Flooding, Proposed Prison & Economic Development", "2026-08-20", "2026", "2026-08", "Republican", "House", "KY", "Harold Rogers", "R000395", "halrogers.house.gov", "halrogers", "https://halrogers.house.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WHITESBURG, KY \u2013 U.S. Rep. Harold \u201cHal\u201d Rogers (KY-05) invited Col. John Moran, the new Commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Louisville District, to help address emergency flood control with local and state leaders in Letcher County on Wednesday.\n\n\u201cFleming-Neon flooded twice in 24 hours last week, as debris and sediment continue to block our waterways and flood our communities. It isn\u2019t just a problem in Letcher County; we need solutions to clean out streams all across our Appalachian region and particularly along the Kentucky River,\u201d said Congressman Rogers, Dean of the House. \u201cCol. Moran and two engineers listened to the challenges our local leaders face with costs and burdensome regulations at both state and federal levels. We discussed potential solutions for local officials when an emergency is declared, so we still have work to do.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe\u2019re not proposing to dredge the whole North Fork, but if we work a mile of the North Fork as it comes into Neon, we fix 75% of the problems downstream,\u201d said Terry Adams, Letcher County Judge Executive. \u201cWe need to remove debris from our streams and it\u2019s going to have to be a combined effort. We can\u2019t afford to rebuild and rebuild and rebuild.\u201d\n\nThe Mayors of Fleming-Neon, Jenkins and Whitesburg also shared their concerns with persistent flash flooding, relief from regulations to help protect residents, and delayed funding from FEMA. State Senator Scott Madon and State Rep. Mitch Whitaker also shared details about flooding in the region, and proposed state legislation that could help with hazard mitigation and other flood recovery efforts.\n\nThe Letcher County Planning Commission and Missy Matthews, President of Childers Oil and Double Kwik, hosted the meeting at the Double Kwik Headquarters in Whitesburg, which was recently renovated after being flooded in July 2022. Matthews and local officials with the East Kentucky Heritage Foundation presented an update on the Raven Rock Resort and the Thunder Mountain Shooting Reserve, two major projects that will boost the tourism economy in our region.\n\n\u201cI want everyone to love Eastern Kentucky as much as I do,\u201d said Matthews. \u201cWe are investing in reclaimed mine lands and repurposing it to generate new jobs and revitalize our economy.\u201d\n\nCongressman Rogers also provided a brief update on the proposed Letcher County Federal Prison that is slated to be built in Roxana, creating over 300 jobs in the region.\n\n\u201cI am receiving monthly updates from the Bureau of Prisons about progress on the proposed construction site, including the Army Corps\u2019 geotechnical study, and we are moving forward,\u201d said Congressman Rogers. \u201cCompletion of the new water project at Roxana will not only provide water for the prison but is already sending clean water to more than 70 homes that were relying on wells. The work to prepare for the prison has already improved this county.\u201d\n\nTo see more photos from the meeting, visit Congressman Rogers' Facebook page @CongressmanHalRogers.\n\nFor more information about Congressman Rogers\u2019 work in Washington and at home in Kentucky, visit halrogers.house.gov and follow him on social media.\n\nCol. Moran & Congressman Rogers meet with state and local leaders in Whitesburg, KY\n\nCongressman Rogers speaks to state and local leaders about flood control & economic development\n\nLetcher County Judge Executive Terry Adams speaks to Army Corps Engineers about flood prevention needs\n\nFleming-Neon Mayor Rick Burke speaks to Army Corps Engineers about stream sediment and debris causing more flood damage", 1, "2026-08-21T05:30:57Z", "2026-08-21T05:32:22Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://halrogers.house.gov/press-releases?ID=94FF1B31-0FDB-4860-9609-019CCB507399"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8816691115498543, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}