A mother and her 7-year-old child were killed in Kentucky when the car they were in was swept away by flood waters in Hart County near
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Severe flooding has wreaked havoc across Kentucky, leading to more than 1,000 rescues as emergency teams race to help those trapped by rising waters. At least eight fatalities have been confirmed, with officials warning that the death toll will likely rise as search and rescue efforts continue.
“This is one of the most serious weather events we’ve dealt with in at least a decade,” Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said Sunday.
The fatalities reported stemmed from several counties, including Hard, Pike and Clay, with many incidents involving vehicles attempting to navigate floodwaters. Beshear emphasized the importance of staying off roadways to prevent further loss of life.
A mother and her 7-year-old child were killed in Kentucky when the car they were in was swept away by flood waters in Hart County near Interstate 65, a county official told WBKO-TV. Hart County Coroner Tony Roberts said the two were swept away Saturday night in the Bonnieville community. In southeastern Kentucky, a 73-year-old man was found dead in floodwaters in Clay County, County Emergency Management Deputy Director Revelle Berry said.
Park Boundary Road between Seneca and Cherokee was closed due to high water Sunday morning after heavy rains flooded Beargrass Creek in Louisville, Ky., on Sunday.Matt Stone / The Courier-Journal via USA Today Network
Nearly 40,000 residents are without power, 9,800 service connections lack water and 26,000 are under a boil water advisory, authorities said at the Sunday press conference.
Beshear said Sunday that President Trump had approved his request for disaster relief funding.
Much of the U.S. faced another round of biting winter weather Sunday. The Northern Plains faced life-threatening cold, and tornado watches were issued for parts of Georgia and Florida.
Parts of Kentucky and Tennessee received up to 6 inches (15 centimeters) of rain during the weekend storms, said Bob Oravec, a senior forecaster with the National Weather Service.
“The effects will continue for awhile, a lot of swollen streams and a lot of flooding going on,” Oravec said Sunday. “Any time there’s flooding, the flooding can last a lot longer than the rain lasts.”
Severe storms also swept through parts of Florida and Georgia, where tornado watches were in effect early Sunday, the National Weather Service said.
In Atlanta, a person was killed when an “extremely large tree” fell on a home early Sunday, according to Atlanta Fire Rescue Capt. Scott Powell. He told reporters that firefighters were dispatched just before 5 a.m. after a 911 call.
