Kentucky: At least eight people have died in the wake of torrential rains that caused massive flooding in eastern Kentucky, the state’s governor announced, who fears the death toll will rise.
Governor Andy Bashir spoke of the “worst floods in modern history”, describing them as “devastating and deadly”, at a time when the number of missing is still unknown, and heavy rains are expected until Friday.
“At the moment, I think I can confirm at least eight deaths, but that number seems to be increasing hour by hour,” the governor added.
He expected the total number of dead to be “double digits”.
In Jackson, some roads turn into rivers, with abandoned cars everywhere. Under these conditions, many residents took refuge on the roofs of their homes, waiting to be rescued.
Bashir said that “between 20 and 30” people were evacuated by air. And collected in parts of Kentucky about 20 centimetres of rainwater within 24 hours, and more rain is expected until Friday evening, amid the continued state of alert in the face of floods.
The Democratic governor declared a state of emergency in a number of provinces, and four National Guard helicopters, in addition to rubber boats, were deployed to assist in relief operations.
Near Jackson, lifeguards were evacuating residents, wearing life jackets, in a small boat.
He stated that the number of missing persons is unknown “because we still cannot reach certain places” due to the strong currents.
The governor previously noted that “a lot of people need help. We are doing our best to reach every single one of them.”
But he acknowledged that “the situation is difficult” and said, “Hundreds of people will lose their homes, and this will be an event that will require not only months but possibly years for families to be able to rebuild and recover.”
He pointed out that about 25,000 people were without electricity on Thursday, and some were without running water in the state.
