Kentucky floods kill at least 30, including four children
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KENTUCKY, United States (REUTERS) - Floods unleashed by torrential rains in eastern Kentucky have killed at least 30 people, including four children, Governor Andy Beshear said on Sunday (July 31) as authorities worked to provide food and shelter for thousands of displaced residents.
“We know of additional bodies beyond these 30 confirmed,” the governor said.
“If things weren’t hard enough on people of this region, they’re getting rain right now,” he said, adding there was “severe storm potential” on Monday.
“If things weren’t hard enough on people of this region, they’re getting rain right now,” he said, adding there was “severe storm potential” on Monday.
Some homes in the hardest hit areas were swept away after days of heavy rainfall that Mr Beshear has described as some of the worst in the US state’s history.
Rescue teams guided motor boats through residential and commercial areas searching for victims.
“Everything is gone. Like, everything is gone. The whole office is gone,” one of the flood’s victims, Ms Rachel Patton, told WCHS TV.
Around her, houses were half-submerged in water. “We had to swim out, and it was cold. It was over my head, so yeah. It was scary.”
The National Weather Service forecasts several rounds of showers and storms through Tuesday, with a flood watch in effect through Monday morning in southern and eastern Kentucky.
“We are still focused on meeting the immediate needs of providing food, water and shelter for thousands of our fellow Kentuckians who have been displaced by this catastrophic flood,” Mr Beshear said in a statement.
Mr Beshear, who declared a state emergency over the floods, earlier told NBC that authorities will “be finding bodies for weeks” as rescuers fan out to more remote areas.
“We are still focused on meeting the immediate needs of providing food, water and shelter for thousands of our fellow Kentuckians who have been displaced by this catastrophic flood,” Mr Beshear said in a statement.
Mr Beshear, who declared a state emergency over the floods, earlier told NBC that authorities will “be finding bodies for weeks” as rescuers fan out to more remote areas.
The floods were the second major national disaster to strike Kentucky in seven months, following a swarm of tornadoes that claimed nearly 80 lives in the western part of the state last December.
President Joe Biden declared a major disaster in Kentucky on Friday, allowing federal funding to be allocated to the state.
Mr Beshear’s office said that affected residents could begin applying for disaster assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Power lines were widely damaged, with over 14,000 reports of outages on Sunday afternoon, according to PowerOutage.US.
Mr Beshear’s office said that affected residents could begin applying for disaster assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Power lines were widely damaged, with over 14,000 reports of outages on Sunday afternoon, according to PowerOutage.US.
