Kentucky flooding

The governor had called a state of emergency, he said, as streets and homes in several counties throughout the region had been flooded after rain hit the ...

Perry County had seen 7 inches of rain in the past two days, he said, and the city of Prestonsburg in Floyd County had received 1.67 inches of rain in the past 24 hours but had seen more precipitation in the days leading up to the flooding. Heavy rain that fell earlier in the week in that region had already caused some flooding, several social media users noted. His office said that they will begin delivering "truckloads of water" to affected regions. "In a word, this event is devastating, and I do believe it will end up being one of the most significant deadly floods that we have had in Kentucky in at least a very long time. He said in the conference that deaths are expected to rise into the double digits. Dustin Jordan, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service of Jackson, said Clark Creek in Knott County had seen 6.82 inches of rain in the past two days, and 6.23 of those were just in the past 24 hours. The governor had called a state of emergency, he said, as streets and homes in several counties throughout the region had been flooded after rain hit the eastern portion of the state overnight. Jackson's National Weather Service office is located in Breathitt County – employees cannot currently access it, Jordan said, as roads by the facility are covered in water. Eastern Kentucky had experienced plenty of wet weather in the days leading up to the flooding. Beshear said in his 12:30 p.m. press conference that multiple deaths have been confirmed due to the flooding. "By the end, we expect it will be in double digits, and a lot of families out there have lost absolutely everything." Between 20-30 people have been airlifted in rescue efforts throughout the day, he said, and boat rescues have taken place as well.

At least three people were confirmed dead Thursday after heavy rains caused massive flooding across eastern Kentucky, leaving people stranded on rooftops ...

Several residents and news organizations posted photos and videos on social media early Thursday that show water taking over the streets in Buckhorn, Breathitt and Perry counties. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said he expects deaths to rise to double digits, calling it one of "the worst, most devastating flooding events" in state history. “We probably have not seen the worst of it," Beshear said. More than 6 inches of rain fell overnight heading into Thursday morning, leaving streets underwater. Staff at a school were also stranded, he said. "Our death toll is growing, ... and a lot of families out there have lost absolutely everything."

“I do believe it will end up being one of the most significant deadly floods that we have had in Kentucky in at least a very long time,” he said. Beshear ...

Watkins said she and her husband had been up all of the previous night as rain pounded the area. “We have a friend who's got a set of twins and a smaller child,” Watkins said. They have multiple friends that they haven’t been able to make contact with and are “basically missing.” Additional planes were coming from West Virginia, and boats being flown in to assist those from the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. The total at Buckhorn Lake was very close to the 24-hour state record for Kentucky of 10.48 inches. The water was level with Watkins front porch. “It’s going to take a long time for our community to build back from this.” But it appeared that most of the house had been spared. The storm front developed along the northern periphery of a tropical heat dome that sprawled over much of the southern United States. Beshear confirmed the death of an 81-year-old woman in Perry County, along with two other deaths in Perry and Knott counties. Local television crews broadcast videos of rescuers in boats and helicopters trying to reach people stuck on what was left of their homes. I just knew that if we don’t get out of here, we’re going to die.”