Kentucky has been hit with fierce rainstorms throughout the summer, and this week was no exception. Heavy rain stormed over many counties, causing 8 to 10 ½ inches of water to build up.
The death toll in Kentucky has gone up to 37, with searches still looking for hundreds of missing people. Many areas are inaccessible due to sunken bridges blocking the path. Kentucky’s governor Andy Beshear reports “we are ending the day with more heartbreaking news out of Eastern Kentucky. We can confirm the death toll has now risen to 37, with so many more still missing. Let us pray for these families and come together to wrap our arms around our fellow Kentuckians.”
Beshear read out the list of those killed in the flood, and two of the victims were children. He was visibly emotional when reading, “it says ‘minors’. They are children. The oldest one is in second grade.” These children were described as sweet, funny, and lovable, but met a very unfortunate fate. When their mobile house was flooded, the children were forced onto the roof, before being washed away, killing them.
Beshear thinks that recovery crews are “going to be finding bodies for weeks,” and most officials think that Kentucky is “still in search and rescue mode.” Progress has been made though; Kentucky’s state roads are passable. 1,300 people have been rescued already and 430 people are staying at 11 shelters. State parks are also being used as emergency shelters, with 191 people staying in them. Even so, most bridges are inaccessible, and just one county can have up to 50 bridges damaged. A slight risk of excessive rainfall continues to Monday, and a flood watch will be in effect overnight until Monday.
Along with the rain, the heat is terrible as well. The flood causes humidity to rise tremendously. Some of the worst heat waves and highest temperatures have occurred this year. “It’s going to get really, really hot. And that is now our new weather challenge,” Beshear says, “it is absolutely devastating out there. It’s going to take years to rebuild. People left with absolutely nothing. Homes that we don’t know where they are, just entirely gone. And we continue to find bodies of our brothers and sisters that we have lost.” Cooling stations are being set up throughout Kentucky to combat the heat.
Tracy Neice is the mayor of Hindman, Kentucky, and Hindman’s main street could be compared to a river. He reports, “I’ve lived here in this town for 56 years, and I have never seen water of this nature. It was just devastating to all of our businesses, all of our offices.”
Biden has since declared a federal disaster direct relief to flooded counties in Kentucky.
Sources:
https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/01/weather/kentucky-appalachia-flooding-monday/index.html
https://www.npr.org/2022/08/02/1115152323/kentucky-flooding
The death toll in Kentucky has gone up to 37, with searches still looking for hundreds of missing people. Many areas are inaccessible due to sunken bridges blocking the path. Kentucky’s governor Andy Beshear reports “we are ending the day with more heartbreaking news out of Eastern Kentucky. We can confirm the death toll has now risen to 37, with so many more still missing. Let us pray for these families and come together to wrap our arms around our fellow Kentuckians.”
Beshear read out the list of those killed in the flood, and two of the victims were children. He was visibly emotional when reading, “it says ‘minors’. They are children. The oldest one is in second grade.” These children were described as sweet, funny, and lovable, but met a very unfortunate fate. When their mobile house was flooded, the children were forced onto the roof, before being washed away, killing them.
Beshear thinks that recovery crews are “going to be finding bodies for weeks,” and most officials think that Kentucky is “still in search and rescue mode.” Progress has been made though; Kentucky’s state roads are passable. 1,300 people have been rescued already and 430 people are staying at 11 shelters. State parks are also being used as emergency shelters, with 191 people staying in them. Even so, most bridges are inaccessible, and just one county can have up to 50 bridges damaged. A slight risk of excessive rainfall continues to Monday, and a flood watch will be in effect overnight until Monday.
Along with the rain, the heat is terrible as well. The flood causes humidity to rise tremendously. Some of the worst heat waves and highest temperatures have occurred this year. “It’s going to get really, really hot. And that is now our new weather challenge,” Beshear says, “it is absolutely devastating out there. It’s going to take years to rebuild. People left with absolutely nothing. Homes that we don’t know where they are, just entirely gone. And we continue to find bodies of our brothers and sisters that we have lost.” Cooling stations are being set up throughout Kentucky to combat the heat.
Tracy Neice is the mayor of Hindman, Kentucky, and Hindman’s main street could be compared to a river. He reports, “I’ve lived here in this town for 56 years, and I have never seen water of this nature. It was just devastating to all of our businesses, all of our offices.”
Biden has since declared a federal disaster direct relief to flooded counties in Kentucky.
Sources:
https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/01/weather/kentucky-appalachia-flooding-monday/index.html
https://www.npr.org/2022/08/02/1115152323/kentucky-flooding