LIVINGSTON COUNTY, Ky. — For many families forced out of their homes, cleaning up after the floods means starting all over. It's a process that will take a long time.

The United Methodist Disaster Recovery Team is working on a long-term disaster recovery plan for McCracken County, Kentucky. The plan involves neighbors and strangers working together.

At one home in Ledbetter, Kentucky, much has changed over the past ten days. That was when water was chest high and James Emerson had to swim to get inside his home.

Now that the water is gone, the cleanup is the focus. The United Methodist Church is stepping in to help and sending people to help homeowners like Emerson get homes and lives back to normal.

"It's pretty hard. Everything in here is sentimental to me. My wife died 12 years ago, so everything is pretty hardcore," said Emerson.

Cleaning up is not something he has to do alone. Volunteers like Rich Dugan from Lancaster Bible College drove 800 miles to help rip up carpet, remove drywall and insulation soaked from the flood waters.

"We wanna try our best to serve him to the best of our abilities, be our hands and feet and really exemplify his love," Dugan said.

Bill Carr with the United Methodist Church disaster recovery team hopes help comes to all families who need it.

It's why Carr is working to develop a long-term recovery committee. Carr hosted a meeting with McCracken County leaders and organizations together to pool resources.

It's the first step toward meeting needs and helping people like find a new normal. As he combs through what's left, Jim Emerson gives thanks for the things and the help he has.

"I couldn't ever pay them back for what they are doing for me. I came over today and I didn't know what to do. They seem to know what they are doing," said Emerson.

All the work comes at no cost to the homeowners and is paid for through donations and grants. The group set up a disaster recovery team and formed an executive committee.

The committee plans to set up a hot line for volunteers or where people can share their needs. That hotline should be set up by the end of this week.