Heavy floods wiped out Kentucky in the US, leaving at least 15 people dead, authorities announced on Friday, noting that the death toll is expected to grow.
“We’ve still got a lot of searching to do,” said Jerry Stacy, the emergency management director in Kentucky’s hard-hit Perry County. “We still have missing people.”
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Powerful floodwaters caused widespread destruction in Appalachian valleys and hollows, swamping homes and businesses, leaving vehicles in useless piles and crunching runaway equipment and debris against bridges.
Gov. Andy Beshear told the AP before touring the disaster area that the 15 dead in Kentucky includes children, “but I expect that number to more than double, probably even throughout today.”
In response, emergency crews made close to 50 air rescues and hundreds of water rescues on Thursday, and more people still needed help on Friday.
The governor said: “This is not only an ongoing disaster but an ongoing search and rescue. The water is not going to crest in some areas until tomorrow.”
Beshear pointed out that more than 200 people have sought shelter, adding that he deployed National Guard soldiers to the hardest-hit areas. Three parks set up shelters, and with property damage so extensive, the governor opened an online portal for donations to the victims.
“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,” Beshear noted on Thursday.
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