The governor of Kentucky said Aug. 1 (BNA): Floods triggered by heavy rains in eastern Kentucky have killed at least 37 people, including four children, while Governor Andy Bashir warned that more dangerous weather is approaching in the area.
Bashir confirmed 30 deaths Monday morning, followed by five others at an afternoon briefing, when he said there would be more to come. Hours later, he confirmed on Twitter that two more deaths had occurred, Reuters reported.
The authorities continued to work to save the population and provide food and shelter for thousands of displaced people. Officials say weather conditions have hampered efforts.
Bashir said that many residents were not prepared for a large fall during the night, which led to more deaths. For people who stayed in eastern Kentucky, he advised to look for higher ground before evening storms.
“It’s an ongoing natural disaster,” Bashir said in an interview with CNN. “We’re still looking for people.” “A great deal of grief is across Kentucky.”
The National Weather Service forecast several rounds of continuous rain and storms through Tuesday.
Bashir, who declared a state of emergency last week, said over the weekend that authorities were likely to “find the bodies for weeks” as teams spread to more remote areas.
Days of heavy rain – which Beshir described as some of the worst in the state’s history – washed away some homes in the worst-hit areas. Videos posted online showed rescue teams guiding motorboats through residential and commercial areas in search of victims.
The Wolf County search and rescue team on Sunday posted footage to Facebook of a helicopter transporting an 83-year-old woman from the roof of a nearly completely submerged home. This was part of a five-person rescue.
At least 16 deaths have been reported in Nott County alone. The bodies of four children, aged between 18 months and eight years, were recovered Friday afternoon. A family member told the Lexington Herald Leader that a fast current had pulled them out of their parents’ grasp.
“Mother and father were stranded in the tree for eight hours before anyone got there to help,” said Brittany Trejo.
Also among the dead in Knott County was 50-year-old Eva Nicole “Nikki” Sloan, who went out Thursday to check on an elderly friend, according to her daughter.
Sloan’s body was recovered the next day near the house.
“My mom was a very caring woman,” Misty Franklin told the newspaper.
The floods were the second major disaster to hit Kentucky in seven months, after a swarm of tornadoes that killed nearly 80 people in the western part of the state in December.
President Joe Biden declared a major disaster in Kentucky on Friday, allowing federal funding to be allocated to the state.
Power lines were widely damaged, with more than 8,000 households left without power Monday afternoon, according to PowerOutage.US. But that’s down from 15,000 on Monday morning.
Among the various charitable efforts that have appeared to help flood victims, the University of Kentucky men’s basketball team has been.
The team, one of the college’s most popular sports, said it will open a Telethon networking practice at Kentucky Flood Relief Tuesday night.
MI