More than two months ago, heavy rains resulted in Kentucky's worst flooding disaster in decades. The storm caused 40 deaths and hundreds of millions of dollars in property damage.

Many communities are still waiting for help, prompting calls for more action at the federal level.

David Krimm of Jefferson Township decided to take matters into his own hands. Krimm a member of North Street Christian Church filled a pickup truck and a 16-foot trailer with cleaning supplies last month and drove to eastern Kentucky to aid in the flood cleanup.

He connected with a pastor in Jackson, Ky., to coordinate the distribution of the buckets, blankets, bottled water and cleaning supplies he’d brought to people recovering from the effects of the flooding.

“I took down food, cleaning supplies, blankets, sheets and propane heaters. People were still in tents,” said Krimm, who made the six-and-a-half hour drive with his wife, Debbie.

His trailer was loaded with donations from organizations such as his church, the Butler Lions Club, and the Giant Eagle at Clearview Mall.

Bob Seaver, the administrator of North Street Christian Church, said, “We collected blankets, cases of water, paper products, just some of the basics for the people down there.”

He said the church also made a financial donation.

The Butler Lions Club donated money as well as brooms, garbage bags, dustpans and clothes.

Krimm is part of Misfits on a Mission, volunteers from different churches who work to rebuild after disasters both in the United States and abroad.

“Scott Bowman (Misfits on a Mission founder) lets us know, ‘Hey, this happened in Kentucky, hey this happened in Louisiana.’ He gets us the information, and we kind of grab a hold of it and do something,” said Krimm.

In fact, Kirmm’s was only the first load delivered to Jackson, according to the Misfits. A second contingent of four Misfits members and a 40-foot flat bed filled with donations were sent later. They were also carrying donations to buy building materials.

Krimm said rebuilding and cleaning were urgently needed in the area even two months after the floods.

“We were very impressed; Kentucky has done a lot of good work restoring the roads and the power, but as far as houses go, there is still a lot of work to be done,” he said.

“It was real bad; a month later and they are still mucking out houses, the ones that were still standing,” Krimm said. “Young women were volunteering to muck out houses. Eighteen houses still needed to be mucked out a month after the flooding.

“Everybody was busy working. Everybody was trying to do what they could, but many had lost everything,” said Krimm. “They were living in tents. The lucky ones were living in FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) trailers.”

“They were asking for propane heaters that could be used in and outdoors because cold weather was coming up shortly,” he said.

Last week, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear provided an update on Eastern Kentucky stabilization and rebuilding efforts following July’s historic floods. Almost $73 million in grants have been approved under FEMA’s Individuals and Households Program for 7,785 households. The filing deadline to return applications for physical property damage is now Oct. 28.

Over $50 million has been approved by the U.S. Small Business Association for 662 applicants.

Beshear announced that Kentucky has received approval from the federal Food and Nutrition Service to allow flood survivors in Eastern Kentucky to purchase hot food with SNAP benefits until Nov. 1.

Beshear also announced the Kentucky Department for Aging and Independent Living has been awarded more than $110,000 to assist with rebuilding two senior centers in Knott and Letcher counties that were seriously damaged during the flooding.

Beshear said Kentucky state parks are housing 297 people, and recently, 34 individuals have transitioned out of state parks. Currently, 464 individuals are being housed in 168 travel trailers.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet is collecting and removing damaged cars that came to rest on public rights-of-way or in waterways that block access to a public-use area or threaten infrastructure.

To date, the Team Eastern Kentucky Flood Relief fund has raised over $9.8 million from over 37,000 donors.

Krimm said his next trip for Misfits on a Mission will take him even farther afield. In January he plans to travel to the Dominican Republic.

Krimm said, “We go there once a year, drilling water wells for them, and we are going to have a giant vacation Bible school for 2,400 kids.”

He added he’s been involved with Misfits on a Mission for a couple of years. “My mother (Diane Krimm) has been involved for many, many years,” he said.

“I’ve been blessed so much by God; I feel I need to help others out,” he said of his own involvement.