At least three people have died due to flooding caused by heavy rains in the eastern US state of Kentucky, its governor has announced. Many more are missing and he fears the number will rise.
“We are witnessing one of the worst and most destructive floods in Eastern Kentucky’s history,” said Governor Andy Beshear. ‘Many eastern Kentucky residents are on their roofs, waiting to be rescued.’
He later said three deaths, including an 81-year-old woman, had been confirmed and he expected the death toll to be in the “double digits”. Many are missing.
In the area around Jackson, some roads have turned into rivers, with abandoned cars scattered here and there. At the bottom of small valleys surrounded by forests, the ground was submerged in muddy water on Thursday, leaving only the roofs of buildings and trees in some places.
20 cm of water in 24 hours
Some parts of Kentucky received 20 centimeters of rain in 24 hours. The governor has declared a state of emergency in a few districts. Four National Guard helicopters along with RIBs have been deployed to assist in relief efforts.
“A lot of people need help,” the governor said. ‘We are doing everything we can to reach every one of them.’ But he admitted that “the situation is difficult”. ‘Hundreds of people are going to lose their homes and it will be another event where families will need months, not years, to rebuild and recover.’
About 25,000 people in the state are without electricity and some without water, he said.
US President Joe Biden has been kept informed of the situation, his spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said. Deanne Criswell, head of the US Federal Disaster Management Agency (FEMA), is scheduled to visit on Friday.
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