Live updates: Rising waters trap people in Eastern KY; eight people dead, multiple missing
Several people in Southeastern Kentucky reported being trapped inside their homes early Thursday by rising waters as “catastrophic” flash flooding hit the region.
“We are dealing with a catastrophic and historic flash flooding situation in parts of the region,” WYMT anchor Steve Hensley said on Twitter. “I’ve never seen water come off the hill behind my house like this. There are people trapped and homes and roads flooded. A flash flood emergency continues for several counties. I pray nobody has lost their life. I’m afraid the devastation we will see after daybreak will be significant.”
There is flooding reported in several southeastern Kentucky counties, including Breathitt, Floyd, Perry, Knott, Leslie, Pike and Magoffin.
Here’s the latest from our team of reporters. This story will be updated as new information is available.
Death count rises from Eastern Kentucky flooding
Eight deaths have been reported out of the Eastern Kentucky counties affected by severe flooding on Thursday, according to a spokesperson with Governor Andy Beshear’s office.
“Tonight we need your continued prayers for the people of Eastern Kentucky. This is an ongoing natural disaster, with more rain expected tonight that could worsen the situation. The death toll has heartbreakingly risen to eight Kentuckians lost. Thank you to our heroic first responders for doing such important work,” Beshear said in a Facebook post.
Lexington Fire Department performs water rescues in Eastern Kentucky
Mjr. Jessica Bowman with the Lexington Fire Department said its swift water flood response team has performed 18 rescue missions and relocated 26 people on Thursday in the Lost Creek area of Breathitt County. Crews will continue supporting rescue operations as long as its needed, Bowman said.
‘I couldn’t believe the rain would do that’
Eunice Howard watched the flood crash her double wide mobile home into a bridge Thursday morning in the Grapevine community of Perry County.
The 65-year-old jailer said early that morning, her daughter suggested she leave. But in the 46 years she’s been in Grapevine, Howard said she’s never had a flooding problem beyond some water in her yard and wasn’t inclined to leave her home.
A few minutes later, as Howard was on the phone with her sister, she heard the rain and sound of water growing louder. She looked out her window and saw the creek that runs beside her home spilling into her yard.
Howard grabbed her purse and car keys and ran out to her pickup trick. As she pulled away from the flooding and toward the road, she watched as the water picked up an outbuilding on her property.
Just moments later, it grabbed her trailer, too, and washed it a couple of hundred yards down the creek until it struck a bridge.
“I was in shock. I was devastated. I couldn’t believe the rain would do that,” she said.
Resources to help
The Kentucky Red Cross has opened a shelter in Hazard, and the state will open several parks to provide for storm victims. Find the latest recovery resources here.
State of emergency
Gov. Andy Beshear signed a state of emergency Thursday morning in response to severe flooding late Wednesday and early Thursday in Eastern Kentucky.
Beshear called last night and early this morning “one of the worst, most devastating flooding events in Kentucky‘s history.”
At a 9:30 a.m. presser he called the situation “dynamic,” and said that in most places the rising waters had not even crested yet. Beshear said that the administration expects loss of life to occur because of the flooding.
‘Been a rough one’
Todd Depriest, mayor of Jenkins in Letcher County, said the water came up quickly in and around town Thursday morning, preventing people from getting out.
At 10 a.m. Thursday, there were still people trapped in the upper floors of their houses in an area just outside the city, he said.
”I’ve never seen it do this,” said DePriest, who has lived in Jenkins for 54 years. “Been a rough one.”
DePriest said he had not heard of any injuries or deaths in the Jenkins area, though he had heard a report of a car being swept away with someone in it.
Homes and businesses in the historic coal town had water in them Thursday. Water was flowing through a church — in the front door and out the back — across the street from City Hall, Depriest said.
Power was out and the water and sewer-treatment plants in town were down.
DePriest said an older resident of the city said it appeared to the worst flooding in decades.
New flood record
The National Weather Service said flooding on the North Fork of the Kentucky River at Whitesburg surged to a new record early Thursday, rising about 12 feet in 12 hours from 9 p.m. Wednesday to 9 a.m. Thursday.
A weather service graphic showed the old record at the site at 14.7 feet. The river hit a high of 16.8 early Thursday.
The Kentucky Mesonet system, which has weather-monitoring stations statewide, said that as of 7 a.m. Thursday, 3.37 inches of rain had been recorded since midnight at a location in Breathitt County, with 2.7 inches in Pike County and 2.59 inches in Letcher County.
Many creeks in the region lie in narrow valleys so the water rises quickly during intense rainfall.
Power outages
The rainstorms also caused power outages throughout Eastern Kentucky.
Kentucky Power reported at 9 a.m. that it had nearly 20,000 customers without electricity.
Letcher County was hit hardest, with an estimated 4,400 homes and businesses without power, and about 4,000 customers were without power in Knott County, the utility said.
Hundreds of homes were also without power in Breathitt, Floyd, Johnson, Leslie, Letcher, Martin, Perry and Pike counties, the utility said.
Scenes from Eastern Kentucky
The Breathitt County courthouse has opened its doors to those in need of temporary housing, according to Breathitt County Emergency Management. Several roads in the county are underwater and are impassable, per Breathitt County EMS.
Breathitt County Sheriff John Hollan shared a video on Facebook of flooding on Highway 30 near the Breathitt and Magoffin County line.
Floyd County Sheriff John Hunt reported that route 122 is flooded in several places.
Several fire departments in Perry County reported trying to rescue people from their homes. B.J. Duff in Perry County shared photos of a private driveway off Highway 28 being blocked by debris.
Rowan County teacher Allison Slone said in a social media post, “Please pray for the people of eastern Kentucky. Our friends and family are losing everything. I’ve never seen flooding like I’m seeing in pictures. Complete devastation in some areas. People trapped. Homes flooding that have never flooded. People and homes being washed away.”
Knott County High School and Buckhorn School in Perry County were surrounded by water. WKCB radio in Hindman was reporting a devastating scene, with highways looking like a river.
