Loss of life, ‘massive’ damage expected from Eastern KY floods, Gov. Beshear says
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Flooding in Eastern Kentucky
“Catastrophic” flash flooding hit parts of Eastern Kentucky July 28, 2022.
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Gov. Andy Beshear signed a state of emergency Thursday morning in response to severe flooding in parts in Eastern Kentucky late Wednesday and early Thursday.
Flash floods have enveloped much of southeastern Kentucky in recent hours, covering some roads, homes and even schools in the region. Counties that have declared local emergencies include Floyd, Breathitt, Clay, Owsley, Letcher, Perry and Pike. The city of Hazard has also declared an emergency.
Beshear called last night and early this morning “one of the worst, most devastating flooding events in Kentucky‘s history.”
At the 9:30 a.m. presser he called the situation “dynamic,” and said that in most places the rising waters had not even crested yet.
Beshear said that the administration expects loss of life into the double digits to occur because of the flooding. As of early Thursday evening, eight death have been confirmed.
“What we’re going to see coming out of this is massive property damage. We expect the loss of life. Hundreds will lose their homes,” he said. “This is going to be yet another event that’s going to take not months, but likely years for many families to rebuild and recover from.”
At least one school contained some faculty members stranded by floodwaters, but no children have been stranded in school as of yet, Beshear said.
Such flooding has become more frequent in recent years, and the problem is expected to worsen.
The National Guard has also been activated in the region. National Guard Maj. Gen. Hal Lamberton said that the guard was activating rescue helicopters and vehicles able to drive through floodwaters.
About 23,000 are without power statewide, though that figure doesn’t just include Eastern Kentuckians. Beshear added that some have also lost water service, including Martin and Pike counties.
Three state parks are being opened to people in the region whose homes have been lost or damaged: Jenny Wiley, Buckhorn and Pine Mountain.
Beshear said that his team planned to publish locations of where shelters are going to be set up and that people will most need water and cleaning supplies.
“The situation right now is tough for a lot of people in Eastern Kentucky on top of roofs waiting to be rescued. There are a number of people that are unaccounted for, and nearly certainly this is a situation where we are going to lose some of them. But we’re going to do everything we can to help as many people as possible. This is what we do as Kentuckians: we help each other out,” he said.
This story was originally published July 28, 2022 at 10:42 AM.
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