At least 15 people died during what many consider to be the worst flooding in Kentucky history. And the figure could double. Today, Friday, it has not stopped raining in this rural state in the center of the United States.
President Joe Biden declared a “natural disaster in the state” and mobilized federal reinforcements to support areas affected by severe weather, flooding, landslides, and rivers of mud.
Torrential downpours have been hitting eastern Kentucky since Wednesday night, turning some roads into rivers and forcing residents to take shelter on their rooftops as they wait for help.
Others were trapped by the level of the waters or were dragged into their cars. The death toll is “devastating,” Gov. Andy Beshear said. Hundreds of people have lost everything and it will take at least a year to rebuild it, he added.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mzBrAOA03A
About 50 rescues from the air and hundreds from boats have been carried out, according to Beshear. But there is so much water and the currents are so strong “we can’t get to all of them.”
It is expected to continue raining until today Friday night. The flood alert remains. Parts of Kentucky saw as much as 8 inches of rain in 24 hours, and in some places rivers suddenly rose several feet and burst their banks.
Thousands of people remain without electricity or running water. Shelters have been opened in gyms, churches and parks.
In December, dozens of tornadoes hit five states in the central United States, especially Kentucky, killing at least 79 people.
