Gov. Andy Beshear says Kentucky flooding death toll jumps to at least 25: "This is still an emergency situation"
At least 25 people — including four children — have died since floods swept through Kentucky on Thursday, according to Gov. Andy Beshear. He said that the death toll "is likely to increase."
"This is still an emergency situation — we are in search and rescue mode," the governor said during a press conference Saturday.
Multiple agencies have responded to help with rescue efforts, Beshear said, with 664 people rescued via air and 768 people rescued by water since Thursday.
Powerful floodwaters swallowed towns that hug creeks and streams in Appalachian valleys and hollows, swamping homes and businesses, leaving vehicles in useless piles and crunching runaway equipment and debris against bridges. Mudslides marooned people on steep slopes, and over 18,000 customers were still without power as of Saturday, Beshear said. Even more do not have water service.
The record flooding wiped out entire communities in some of the poorest places in America. The governor said Friday it could take weeks to find victims.
Determining the number of people unaccounted for is tough with cell service and electricity out across the disaster area, Beshear said: "This is so widespread, it's a challenge on even local officials to put that number together."
"To everyone in Eastern Kentucky, we are going to be there for you today and in the weeks, months and years ahead," Beshear earlier tweeted. "We will get through this together."
The rain let up early Friday after parts of eastern Kentucky received between 8 and 10 1/2 inches over 48 hours. But some waterways were not expected to crest until Saturday.
Patricia Colombo, 63, of Hazard, Kentucky, became stranded when her car stalled in floodwaters on a state highway. Colombo began to panic when water started rushing in. Though her phone was dead, she saw a helicopter overhead and waved it down. The helicopter crew radioed a ground team that plucked her to safety.
Colombo stayed the night at her fiancé's home in Jackson and they took turns sleeping, repeatedly checking the water with flashlights to see if it was rising. Though her car was a loss, Colombo said others had it worse in a region where poverty is endemic.
"Many of these people cannot recover out here. They have homes that are half underwater, they've lost everything," she said.
The flooding extended into western Virginia and southern West Virginia.
Gov. Jim Justice declared a state of emergency for six counties in West Virginia where the flooding downed trees, power outages and blocked roads. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin also made an emergency declaration, enabling officials to mobilize resources across the flooded southwest of the state.
President Biden said in a social media post that he spoke Friday with Beshear and offered the federal government's support. Biden declared a federal disaster to direct relief money to more than a dozen Kentucky counties.
On Saturday, Biden added "individual assistance" to that declaration, which FEMA confirmed in a news release Saturday evening releases additional federal funds to six hard-hit Kentucky counties. That assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, along with low-cost loans.
This is the latest in a string of catastrophic deluges that have pounded parts of the U.S. this summer.
Just two days before the flooding in Kentucky, record rains around St. Louis dropped more than 12 inches and killed at least two people. Last month, heavy rain on mountain snow in Yellowstone National Park triggered historic flooding and the evacuation of more than 10,000 people. In both instances, the rain flooding far exceeded what forecasters predicted.
The floodwaters raging through Appalachia were so swift that some people trapped in their homes couldn't be immediately reached, said Floyd County Judge-Executive Robbie Williams.
Just to the west in hard-hit Perry County, authorities said some people remained unaccounted for and almost everyone in the area suffered some sort of damage.
"We've still got a lot of searching to do," said Jerry Stacy, the county's emergency management director.
More than 330 people have sought shelter, Beshear said. And with property damage so extensive, the governor opened an online portal for donations to the victims.
Beshear predicted that it would take more than a year to fully rebuild.
Portions of at least 28 state roads in Kentucky were blocked due to flooding or mudslides. Rescue crews in Virginia and West Virginia worked to reach people where roads weren't passable.
And it may not be over. Some waterways are expected to crest Saturday and more storms were forecast to roll through the region early next week.