Kentucky flood death toll climbs to at least 16, ‘going to get a lot higher’
At least 16 people have died in generational flooding across eastern Kentucky, the state’s governor said Friday.
Gov. Andy Beshear added that the death toll was “going to get a lot higher” as authorities and rescuers struggled to reach large swaths of the region due to intense currents and rising waters.
The water had not even crested in some places Friday, as another 1-3 inches of rain was predicted for many communities that were already underwater.
Hundreds of people had been saved in water rescues and at least 50 more were hauled to safety by helicopters, Beshear said Friday. He said the death toll included six children, including four from a single family in Knott County.
A house is seen almost completely submerged off of the Bert T Combs Mountain Parkway on Friday in Breathitt County, Ky. (Michael Swensen/)
“There are hundreds of families that have lost everything,” Beshear said. “And many of these families didn’t have much to begin with. And so it hurts even more.”
About 140 miles southeast of Louisville, in Jackson, the Kentucky River reached a record height of 43.47 feet, according to the National Weather Service, topping the previous mark set in 1939. Another record, of 20.9 feet, was set in Whitesburg, about 40 miles south near the Virginia border.
Entire towns were wiped out, and lifelong residents were left speechless.
“Extreme flash flooding and mudslides are just everywhere. I’ve lived here in Perry County all my life and this is by the far the worst event I’ve ever seen,” said county emergency director Jerry Stacy, 54.
Flooding in downtown Jackson, Kentucky on July 29, 2022 in Breathitt County, Kentucky. (Michael Swensen/)
In Floyd County, Rachel Patton’s mother, who uses oxygen, had to be evacuated on a door floated across the floodwaters.
“We had to swim out and it was cold. It was over my head so it was, it was scary,” Rachel Patton told WCHS.
Between eight and 11 inches of rain fell in a 48-hour period ending Thursday across the hardest-hit places of eastern Kentucky, according to the National Weather Service. The water poured down Appalachian hillsides to flood valleys and overflow creeks. It sent mudslides tumbling and engulfed homes, businesses and roads.
Beshear said 28 state roads remained inaccessible Friday. He was planning to visit the disaster zone, but had to change those plans because it wasn’t safe to land.
“We’ve still got a lot of searching to do,” Stacy said Friday. “We still have missing people.”
Members of a rescue team assist a family out of a boat on Thursday in Quicksand, Ky. (Michael Swensen/)
It’s unclear how many people remain missing because of the extensive and severe nature of the flooding. Even rescuers couldn’t reach all parts of the state to figure out the situation. Beshear said the death toll could continue rising for weeks as the area is searched. He said it would take years to rebuild.
The Kentucky National Guard was activated on Thursday, and the West Virginia National Guard joined their neighbors in the response. President Biden declared a disaster on Friday and FEMA began coordinating a response. Virginia also activated its National Guard to deal with flooding across the state border.
More than 300 people were staying in shelters on Friday, according to Beshear. Many more people likely lost their homes but were unable to quickly reach a facility. Forecasters expect Saturday and early Sunday to be dry but warned the rain may return early next week.
“We’re committed to bringing whatever resources are necessary to support the life-saving efforts as well as the ongoing recovery efforts,” FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell said.
Eastern Kentucky was just the latest area to be battered by torrential downpours and once-in-a-generation floods this summer. Just three days earlier, record flooding in St. Louis brought the city to a standstill. In June, floods wiped out large portions of Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, while the waters battered towns in southern Montana.
And Kentucky in particular has faced a hellish run of severe weather, from tornadoes that killed dozens in December to a bomb cyclone in March. Weather experts say these storms, along with many other severe weather events across the country and the world, are just early examples of the effects that decades of climate change will have worldwide.
With News Wire Services
