16 dead in 'devastating' Kentucky flooding, toll expected to rise

16 dead in 'devastating' Kentucky flooding, toll expected to rise

Aerial view of homes submerged under flood waters from the North Fork of the Kentucky River in Jackson, Kentucky
Aerial view of homes submerged under flood waters from the North Fork of the Kentucky River in Jackson, Kentucky. Photo: LEANDRO LOZADA / AFP
Source: AFP

The death toll from severe flooding in Kentucky hit 16 on Friday and is expected to double, the US state's governor said, after torrential rains caused flash floods that swept away some homes while people slept.

"Tough news is 16 confirmed fatalities now, and folks that's going to get a lot higher," Governor Andy Beshear said at a media briefing.

"It is devastating," Beshear told CNN earlier in the day, saying he expected the toll to "more than double."

"Some people's houses were completely swept away in the middle of the night while they were sleeping," the governor said.

Members of a rescue team assist a family out of a boat in Quicksand, Kentucky, after flash floods
Members of a rescue team assist a family out of a boat in Quicksand, Kentucky, after flash floods. Photo: Michael Swensen / GETTY IMAGES/Getty Images via AFP
Source: AFP

PAY ATTENTION: Subscribe to Digital Talk newsletter to receive must-know business stories and succeed BIG!

Hundreds of people had been rescued by boat and there had been about 50 aerial rescues using National Guard helicopters, he said.

Read also

Ukraine frontline town just wants 'peace and silence'

With many roads washed out "we still can't get to a lot of people," the governor said.

"The current is so strong it's not safe for some of those water rescues that we need to do."

Eastern Kentucky has had flash flooding previously "but we've never seen something like this," Beshear said.

"Folks who deal with this for a living, who have been doing it for 20 years, have never seen water this high."

A bridge and a road are submerged by floodwaters from the North Fork of the Kentucky River in Jackson, Kentucky
A bridge and a road are submerged by floodwaters from the North Fork of the Kentucky River in Jackson, Kentucky. Photo: LEANDRO LOZADA / AFP
Source: AFP

Some areas of the state's Appalachia region reported receiving more than eight inches (20 centimeters) of rain in a 24-hour period.

The water level of the North Fork of the Kentucky River at Whitesburg rose to a staggering 20 feet within hours, well above its previous record of 14.7 feet.

Disaster declaration

Homes submerged under flood waters from the North Fork of the Kentucky River are seen from a drone in Jackson, Kentucky
Homes submerged under flood waters from the North Fork of the Kentucky River are seen from a drone in Jackson, Kentucky. Photo: LEANDRO LOZADA / AFP
Source: AFP

Many roads resembled rivers, mangled cars littered the landscape and muddy brown floodwaters lapped against the rooftops of low-lying houses.

Kayla Brown, 29, and Joe Salley Jr., 56, residents of Perry County, told the Lexington Herald-Leader that the fast-rising flood waters trapped them in their mobile home.

Read also

Firefighters tackle California wildfire as heat grips parts of US

"It was like a wave coming at you out of the ocean," Salley said.

Neighbors came to their rescue after their trailer was knocked off its foundations.

Firefighters head out to  rescue people stranded by flooding in Lost Creek, Kentucky
Firefighters head out to rescue people stranded by flooding in Lost Creek, Kentucky. Photo: Michael Swensen / GETTY IMAGES/Getty Images via AFP
Source: AFP

Four young children ranging in age from one and a half to eight years old were swept away from their parents in hard-hit Knott County, the Herald-Leader reported.

Brittany Trejo, the siblings' cousin, told the newspaper the bodies of two of the children had been found, but the other two were still missing.

Their parents were rescued after clinging to a tree for eight hours, Trejo told the Herald-Leader.

"They managed to get to a tree and... held the children a few hours before a big tide came and washed them all away," Trejo said.

The eastern Kentucky flooding is the latest in a series of extreme weather events that scientists say are an unmistakable sign of climate change.

Nearly 60 people were killed in western Kentucky by a tornado in December 2021.

Read also

'Overwhelming': Survivors reflect on pope's Indigenous abuse apology

The National Weather Service warned that more heavy rain was expected on Friday.

A family looks at their submerged home in Jackson, Kentucky
A family looks at their submerged home in Jackson, Kentucky. Photo: LEANDRO LOZADA / AFP
Source: AFP

President Joe Biden issued a disaster declaration for Kentucky, allowing federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts.

Deanne Criswell, head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, arrived in Kentucky on Friday to tour flood-hit areas and report back to the president.

Source: AFP

Authors:
AFP avatar

AFP AFP text, photo, graphic, audio or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium. AFP news material may not be stored in whole or in part in a computer or otherwise except for personal and non-commercial use. AFP will not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions in any AFP news material or in transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages whatsoever. As a newswire service, AFP does not obtain releases from subjects, individuals, groups or entities contained in its photographs, videos, graphics or quoted in its texts. Further, no clearance is obtained from the owners of any trademarks or copyrighted materials whose marks and materials are included in AFP material. Therefore you will be solely responsible for obtaining any and all necessary releases from whatever individuals and/or entities necessary for any uses of AFP material.