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WASHINGTON, July 30 (BNA) – At least 25 people – including four children – were killed when torrential rain swept through towns across Appalachia, Kentucky Governor Andy Bashir said Saturday.
Bashir said the number will likely rise significantly and it may take weeks to find all the victims of the record floods. Rescue teams continue to struggle to reach the hardest-hit areas, some of which are among the poorest in America.
He said it was still an active search and rescue operation with the aim of getting as many people as possible to safety. The governor said crews had carried out more than 1,200 rescue operations from helicopters and boats.
Bashir, who flew over parts of the flooded area on Friday, described it as “just total devastation like we’ve never seen before.”
The rain stopped early Friday after parts of eastern Kentucky received 8-10 1/2 inches (20-27 cm) over the course of 48 hours. But some waterways were not expected to peak until Saturday, according to the Associated Press.
In the small community of Garrett on Saturday, flooded sofas, tables and cushions were piled up in yards along the mountainsides as people worked to clear debris and mud from driveways and roads.
In nearby Wayland, Phillip Michael Caudel has been working to clean up the wreckage and salvage what he can of the house he shares with his wife and three children.
It’s the latest in a string of catastrophic floods to hit parts of the US this summer, including St. Louis earlier this week and again on Friday. Scientists warn that climate change is making weather disasters more common.
With rain in the Appalachian region this week, water gushed into hillsides, valleys and hollows as creeks swelled and streams flowing through small towns.
The torrent swept through homes, businesses and wrecked vehicles. The mudslides left some people stranded on the steep slopes.
President Joe Biden declared a federal disaster to direct relief funds to more than a dozen counties in Kentucky.
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