Massive flooding in Kentucky has killed at least 12 people

Heavy rains have caused widespread flooding in Kentucky and other parts of the Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic region as a winter storm swept across the country, according to CNN. Channel wlwt tells the story of the scale of the disaster and the rescue efforts in Kentucky.

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The storm has killed at least 14 people, including one in Georgia from strong winds, one in West Virginia and 12 in Kentucky, which was hit hardest by flooding in the region. Several more people are missing amid “significant flooding” in West Virginia.

More than a month's worth of rain fell in Kentucky in less than 24 hours, causing flooding.

"This is one of the most severe weather events we've seen in at least a decade," Gov. Andy Beshear said.

On the subject: Huge destruction and many victims: one of the worst floods in the history of the state hit Kentucky

President Donald Trump approved Beshear's request for a statewide emergency declaration, which would allow the state to receive federal aid.

"We are now in the emergency response phase. This is the search and rescue phase," the governor explained.

Water rescue boat crews and 146 Kentucky National Guard troops have been deployed to search and rescue flood victims. More than 1000 rescues have been conducted, Beshear said.

In addition, Ohio Task Force 1 was dispatched to assist.

Officials say water levels continue to rise in some areas and roads across the state are heavily flooded due to heavy rains moving through the region.

At least 12 people were killed in the storm and flooding, Beshear said.

• A man has died in a flood-related crash in Hart County.
• A man and a woman have died in flooding in Pike County.
• A woman and her 7-year-old child were killed after their car was washed away in Hart County.
• Clay County man dies due to flooding.
• A woman died in a flood in Washington County.
• A man has died in a crash in Nelson County.
• Late Sunday night, Feb. 16, Beshear confirmed the ninth weather-related death in Pike County.
• On Monday, Feb. 17, he confirmed two more deaths — a man in Hardin County and a man in Floyd County. Late Monday afternoon, the death toll rose to 12, but details about the latest death were not provided.

The governor confirmed that hundreds of people were left homeless.

"We think that number will grow," Beshear said.

He warned Kentucky residents to stay off the roads.

Although the rains had long since stopped, the situation remained dangerous on Monday as water levels remained high.

"There are people who still need help and they continue to reach out to us," Beshear said after surveying the destruction in hard-hit Pike County.

At least 237 people were evacuated by helicopter and boat from two apartment complexes in Martin County.

A significant number of deaths in the state were caused by people who decided to drive on flooded roads or through running water.

Beshear said more than 340 roads in the state have been closed due to flooding, possibly a record. At least 10 bridges in the county have been “completely destroyed” by the flooding, according to Pike County Executive Ray Jones.

The National Weather Service in Paducah, Kentucky, warned Monday: "Widespread roadway flooding continues across much of the region. Rivers and streams will continue to rise in some areas over the next few days, potentially causing additional flooding."

The governor confirmed that two nursing homes were evacuated due to flooding, with 100 residents at Landmark in Elkhorn City being transported to a local church, with some police officers helping to carry patients out to ensure their safety.

In downtown Hazard, Kentucky, water levels reached nearly six feet at some businesses on Main Street.

"It was a nightmare. Everything was floating. Things from the kitchen cabinets ended up here in the lobby," said attorney Kevin Johnson.

The stuff in his office was blown out, right down to the flooring. Now everything is covered in dirt and piled up for the dump.

Within about an hour, the water had risen from the threshold of his office to nearly six feet inside the building.

"We have to start all over again, and I have to rebuild all my clients' cases. There are probably about a hundred or more of them. It's a fresh start," Johnson concluded.

He was helped with the clean-up by footballers from Hazard. About 15 players came to help, including his son.

"It looks like a garbage dump now," said team member Chris Partin.

Temperatures are set to plummet across the affected region this week, and a new winter storm is set to bring snow to already flooded areas. More than 13 homes and businesses in Kentucky were without power on Monday, according to PowerOutage.us.

“If your home doesn’t get power back for a few days, find a warm place,” Beshear urged. “We want to make sure everyone is safe and warm.”

In West Virginia, more than 15 customers were without power as of Monday evening. Further east, nearly 000 outages were reported in Maryland and more than 20 in Pennsylvania.

The flooding in Kentucky comes two and a half years after catastrophic flooding that killed 43 people and devastated parts of the state. While the water levels did not reach the levels of the infamous July 2022 floods, the area flooded was much larger, complicating rescue and recovery efforts.

"We were still working on dealing with the aftermath of the 2022 floods and now this has happened," Johnson lamented.

Kentucky is not the only state affected by flooding.

Five flash flood warnings of the highest severity were issued over the weekend in parts of Virginia, West Virginia and Tennessee.

One such warning was issued when floodwaters breached a levee in Obion County, Tennessee, on Feb. 16. The county declared a state of emergency and the city of Rives issued a mandatory evacuation, Obion County Mayor Steve Carr said.

In Virginia, flooding mixed with recent snow and ice to make an already extremely dangerous situation worse, creating a risk of hypothermia for anyone caught in the icy water. That risk will become even more serious as temperatures plummet this week.

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Drone images in Indiana showed flooded homes and roads amid snowy weather on February 16.

"We have flooding here every year, but it hasn't been this bad in a while," Hardinsburg resident Shelby Sandlin wrote on Facebook.

The same storm that caused deadly flooding brought dangerous thunderstorms to the south, heavy snowfall to the Great Lakes region and the Northeast, and powerful winds across the eastern portion of the country.

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