On July 28, flood waters near the Montgomery, Ky., home of Amber Smith and Riley Noble rose so high that they and their four children took refuge on the roof of their home. Suddenly, the house gave way beneath them as the current rushed through. The family stayed together, “managed to get to a tree and … held the children a few hours before a big tide came and washed them all away at the same time,” Brittany Trejo, the children’s aunt, told the Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader. All four children, ages 8, 6, 4 and 1-1/2 perished.
The children are the great nieces and nephews of Juli Vires, a manager with Robinson Stave & Cumberland Cooperage, a supplier to Buffalo Trace Distillery. A GoFundMe page has been established to help the family, and Mark Brown, president, Sazerac Co., is urging industry members to help this family.