It was reported this morning that devastating flash floods and torrential rain had killed at least 15 people in Kentucky.
The death toll is anticipated to rise to 20 and include children.
As emergency personnel feverishly try to rescue individuals who are stranded, the devastating downpours have destroyed entire communities, drowning homes, cars, and other structures under floodwater.
The rising death toll was reported this morning by Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, who also warned that “some youngsters” might be included in the total as he readied the state for a double-dip in fatalities.
The Governor stated today that houses with residents inside were “totally washed away in the middle of the night, probably while they were sleeping.”
It’s predicted that waterlogged, already saturated terrain will continue to swell, and that this morning’s anticipated downpours may cause rivers and creeks to overflow their banks.
The region has been battered by thunderstorms, which have resulted in mudslides and “years” worth of devastation from Kentucky’s most disastrous flood in history.
On Friday morning, Bashear told CNN: “There are going to be a lot of families that we’ve lost.
Children who won’t get the chance to develop and have the same level of experience as we do.
It struck in the middle of the night, was extremely dangerous, and hit hard. Like this, we’ve never seen it before.
“Hundreds will lose their homes, and it will take years to recover from this disaster, not months,” said one observer.
Devastating photographs of cars floating across streets that now resemble rivers demonstrate the state’s terrible destruction as a result of the flooding.
Homes and businesses have been soaked to the roofs in the relentless, lethal torrent, and another 18 hours of rain are forecast for Friday until the downpour abates on Saturday.
Many communities in eastern Kentucky have received more than 10 inches of rain in the previous 24 hours, forcing residents to run to rooftops and climb trees in search of protection.
According to Beshear, a succession of storms that soaked the eastern half of the state released water that has not yet drained, causing damage that may take years to fix.
On Thursday morning, the governor proclaimed an emergency in six counties.
Images from the devastation showed that the water from the rain was as high as the neighboring trees’ leaves and that power lines were protruding from the greenish-brown water.
Yesterday, eight individuals had died as a result of the terrible weather system; however, the death toll now stands at 15.
“We are currently suffering one of the greatest, most disastrous flooding storms in Kentucky’s history,” Beshear stated yesterday. There will be hundreds of home losses.
In Perry County, one of those killed was an 81-year-old woman, and according to the authorities, several other people are missing.
Beshear declared yesterday that “this is a continuing natural disaster,” and that “more rain is expected tonight, which could make things worse.”
According to the website Poweroutage.us, the flooding in eastern Kentucky caused nearly 24,000 homes to lose power on Friday.
For Friday, there are flash flood warnings for the state’s eastern regions, which will include the West Virginia border.
Over 80 people have been rescued since the region’s heavy rains started on Thursday, according to Floyd County Judge-Executive Robbie Williams, who also stated that small towns are prepared to be completely submerged in water.
I’ve never seen this much water before, he said.
I mean, it just poured nonstop, and some of our small towns are completely under water.
In order to employ helicopters and boats to rescue individuals trapped in the floodwaters, the state activated the national guard and the state police yesterday.
State parks and other facilities were used as evacuation shelters, but Beshear cautioned that some of them had been severely damaged by the storms and might not have power or certain amenities.
Beshear stated: “Central and Eastern Kentucky remain in a flood watch today” in a tweet sent out this morning.
Flooding is still a danger owing to the saturated ground even if rain totals are not anticipated to be as high.
Please be cautious and aware, Kentucky.