Three weeks after unrelenting rain brought the Kentucky River to near-record levels in Frankfort, many residents remain displaced from their flood-damaged homes and clean-up efforts are continuing.
As families and businesses lift their sights to recovery and rebuilding, AT&T is providing support to the Frankfort First Foundation – a nonprofit housed under the Frankfort Area Chamber of Commerce. A $10,000 contribution from AT&T will support flood-related disaster relief efforts in and around the Frankfort area.
FirstNet SatCOLT deployment, Boston, KY – Apr. 2025
“It will take a great deal of time and effort for our community to address all the damage the water left behind,” said Tish Shade, president & CEO of the Frankfort Area Chamber. “This support from AT&T will help us connect impacted employers and neighbors to the resources they need most.”
The local contribution follows hands-on efforts of the AT&T Kentucky team to keep Frankfort-area customers connected while the river was rising. Local telecommunications network infrastructure normally located blocks away from the riverbank had to be reinforced as the water rose to levels many in the community hadn’t seen in their lifetimes.
Crews worked through that early April weekend to top off fuel on existing generators, mobilize additional power sources and fill sandbags that would protect network facilities. When the river crested and Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear toured the damaged area, he thanked AT&T crews who were still on-scene for their efforts that kept communications equipment online.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear speaks with AT&T employees in Frankfort, KY – Apr. 2025
“Our unwavering commitment to reliable and resilient communications is foundational to everything we do,” said AT&T Kentucky President Carlos E. Sanchez. “And we are proud to support our customers beyond that network infrastructure, assisting impacted communities in their disaster recovery efforts.”
The heavy early April rain impacted other parts of the Commonwealth as well. A dedicated FirstNet asset – a Satellite Cell on Light Truck (SatCOLT) – was deployed in the Nelson County community of Boston to reliably connect state and local public safety, as a flood-related search and rescue effort was underway.
FirstNet SatCOLT deployment, Pikeville, KY – Feb. 2025
Neither the deployable equipment nor the disaster relief contribution are the first AT&T responses of this sort in Kentucky this year. Another SatCOLT was deployed in Hazard and Pikeville to provide connectivity for flood relief efforts in February. AT&T provided $25,000 to the Team Kentucky Storm Relief Fund to support flood recovery following the impact of that winter storm across the region.
FirstNet and the FirstNet logo are registered trademarks and service marks of the First Responder Network Authority. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.
