Flooding statewide is responsible for at least eight deaths in Kentucky as emergency crews continue to conduct search and rescue missions after making more than 1,000 rescues, Gov. Andy Beshear said Sunday.
Beshear urged Kentuckians to stay off the roads. While flash flooding is receding, rising rivers could bring more flooding in the coming days, he said.
In a Sunday afternoon news conference, Beshear said at least eight deaths are attributed to the weather, most from flooding and people attempting to drive through high water on roads. He said he expected the number of deaths to rise.
“We hope it doesn’t grow quickly or grow much larger,” Beshear said. “But one way that you can help us out to ensure we have as few fatalities as possible is don’t get on the roadways now. Give time for the water to go down. We’ll probably find out about more families that are hurting. We don’t want yours to be one of them.”
Among the deaths are a 35-year old woman and her daughter in Hart County. WBKO in Bowling Green reported the Hart County coroner said a woman and a 7-year-old child were swept away in their vehicle Saturday night by floodwaters near Bacon Creek in Bonnieville.
Other fatalities include two adult men who died in motor vehicle accidents attributed to weather, one in Hart County and one in Nelson County. The deaths of two adult males in Pike County and an adult female in Washington County were attributed to floodwaters. In Clay County, Donald Keith Nicholson, 73, died after he left his stalled vehicle and was swept away by high water, reports WYMT.
Beshear said President Donald Trump approved his request for an emergency disaster declaration. He said it is likely Kentucky will qualify for assistance through the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help individuals and repair public infrastructure. Beshear said Saturday on social media that he had spoken directly to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and the acting director of FEMA.
Federal disaster assistance is available in all 120 Kentucky counties following Sunday’s declaration by Trump.
Beshear advised Kentuckians to document flood damage before making repairs to help Kentucky and FEMA fully assess damage in the state.
Beshear also established the Team Kentucky Storm Relief Fund. Donations are tax deductible.
The governor said impacts from the flooding reached across the state with portions of more than 300 roads seeing damage, drinking water access disrupted with approximately 9,800 service disconnections and nearly two dozen wastewater treatment plants either not operational or functioning with limited capacity. He said one of those treatment plants is underwater, and water lines may burst from flooding damage similar to past flooding.
Tens of thousands are without electricity, mostly in Eastern Kentucky.
Beshear urged Kentuckians needing help with power outages, utility disruptions or other situations not constituting an immediate emergency to avoid calling 911 so that dispatchers can handle life-threatening emergencies.
He asked Kentuckians facing non-life threatening situations to call 502-607-6665 or reach out online through the Kentucky Division of Emergency Management’s website.
Some places in Western Kentucky have seen more than 6 inches of rain over the past 48 hours, according to the Kentucky Mesonet.
Beshear said more rain and snow are on the way this week and could cause even more disruptions to travel, with West Kentucky potentially seeing 6 inches to 8 inches of snow Tuesday and Wednesday. “We know this is going to be a wild weather week,” the governor said.
Jim Gray, the secretary of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, said as water drains in Eastern Kentucky it could potentially freeze over roadways.
“It’s very difficult to identify that. So this, too, is why caution and not driving unless necessary is urged,” Gray said. He also said saturated soils that freeze can create additional rock slides.
Beshear said Kentucky State Parks officials were housing 142 people displaced by the weather with the hope that more state parks can be opened to house Kentuckians. He said Jenny Wiley State Park in Floyd County is at capacity.
The governor said while some counties in Eastern Kentucky have been spared of the magnitude of flooding faced during catastrophic floods in 2022, other counties are grappling with worse flooding compared to past natural disasters.
“Pike County has gotten hit really, really, really hard,” Beshear said. “We got a lot of resources there and helping, but they’re also doing a great job with their local emergency management. Hundreds of rescues have occurred in Pike County alone.”
The Transportation Cabinet posts information about road closures at https://goky.ky.gov/.
Liam Niemeyer covers government and policy in Kentucky and its impacts throughout the Commonwealth for the Kentucky Lantern. He most recently spent four years reporting award-winning stories for WKMS Public Radio in Murray.
