At least 11 dead in ‘historic’ Kentucky flooding. Emergency disaster declared

At least 11 people died and more than 1,000 were rescued as heavy rains and widespread damaging flooding swept across the commonwealth over the weekend.

Even more deaths are expected, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said.

“Unfortunately, this disaster is taking a toll in terms of human life,” he said.

He increased the death toll from “the statewide event” from nine on Monday morning.

All of Kentucky’s 120 counties reported flooding after being deluged with between 3-8 inches of rain beginning Friday night.

Tragedies were centered largely in Eastern Kentucky.

One man was found dead in floodwaters Saturday evening in Clay County. The county coroner identified him as 73-year-old Donald Keith Nicholson. Officials said he drove water covering KY 80 in the Horse Creek community, near Manchester.

In Hart County, a 7-year-old girl and her 35-year-old mother died Saturday night after being swept away by the waters, said Hart County Coroner Anthony Roberts. The girl’s body was recovered Saturday night, but rescue missions were paused due to rising flood waters, Roberts said. Her mother’s body was recovered Sunday afternoon.

Officials said their vehicle was submerged at Campground Road, near Priceville Road, at the bridge along Bacon Creek. Their identities have not been released.

In all, three people died in Hart County; three died in Pike County; and one died in each of Washington, Clay and Nelson counties.

Around 9 p.m. Sunday, Pike County Coroner Kevin Hall confirmed three flood-related deaths. However, he could not yet release identities.

Late Sunday evening, Washington County Coroner Len Benedict told the Herald-Leader JoAnne Lehr, 79, of Springfield died at 6:20 p.m. Saturday. Her car ran off the highway and crashed into the creek.

Most of the deaths were related to floodwaters.

Brian Tichenor of Bardstown died in a crash related to snow-covered roads on Feb. 11, after the state began monitoring weather for a state of emergency, according to Nelson County Coroner Danielle Chladek. Chladek said there were no flooding deaths in Nelson County.

Pike County Deputy Coroner Emory Wolford said Sunday that ongoing investigations prohibited him from releasing the names of the people who died.

Rainfall began statewide Friday evening and continued throughout all day Saturday. More than 300 state and federal roads were closed in Kentucky on Sunday morning, and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet described the impact as “historic.”

“Kentucky, we are seeing dangerous and life-threatening conditions across the state, and things are only going to get tougher due to widespread flooding and incoming weather,” Beshear posted on social media.

President Donald Trump approved federal aid after Beshear declared an emergency for the state Sunday, freeing federal funding for impacted areas.

Beshear thanked President Trump and said it was the fastest he had seen a president sign off on an emergency declaration. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is already on the ground.

Rain hammered much of the state, but many of the most affected areas were in Eastern Kentucky — a region that was also devastated by flooding in summer 2022, which killed 45 people.

Days of thunderstorms rolled through Eastern Kentucky that summer, dumping between 14 and 16 inches of rain on the region, according to the National Weather Service. The heaviest rain came late July 27 and into July 28.

The rain caused rivers and creeks to rise to historic levels, and former President Joe Biden approved a disaster declaration in Kentucky.

“Right now, we’re not necessarily seeing that level of event all across Kentucky, but we may in some regions,” Beshear said Sunday.

Beshear said initial evaluations of damage showed widespread, but less intense damage, than the 2022 flooding.

“The difference between the 2022 flooding and this is this hit the whole state,” Beshear said. “We have flooding in Western Kentucky, we have flooding in Eastern Kentucky. So when we ultimately look at the overall damage caused, it might be more comparable in the end than we think.“

This weekend’s flooding caused significant damage to Kentucky Power, according to company officials. More than 18,000 customers were without power Sunday morning. Blocked roads from high water, mudslides and downed trees have been reported throughout the southern part of Kentucky Power’s territory, according to the company.

Power companies could not access many of those areas because of flooding and blocked roads. Pike County had nearly 6,000 customers without power as of Sunday afternoon, and Knott County had about 2,200 customers without power. Breathitt, Floyd, Leslie, Letcher, Martin and Perry counties also had significant outages.

More than 39,000 people statewide were without power, Beshear said.

“This is much, much more widespread than 2022,” Bailey said. “The flood was more severe (in 2022) but only impacted a handful of counties in the southeast.”

More than 100 people rescued in Pike County

Pike County officials rescued more than 100 people from swift-moving water, as the far Eastern Kentucky county was hit hard by flooding. Two deaths were reported in Pike County as of late Sunday evening.

“We have had some deaths, and we expect that number to climb,” said Nee Jackson, the director of emergency management for Kentucky’s largest county by size, at 789 square miles.

More than 5,400 utility customers were without power, making it more difficult for family and friends to contact loved ones.

“We are carrying out rescues as we speak,” Jackson said. “We expect rescues to continue over the next few days.”

Dozens of roads, particularly those near the Tug Fork of the Big Sandy River, on the border of Kentucky and West Virginia, are impassable.

The Tug hit 47.79 feet on Sunday, Jackson said, 5 feet above flood stage.

Landmark Nursing Home in Elkhorn City also had to be evacuated. Forty-eight residents were taken to the Pikeville Medical Center, and 52 were housed at a local church, he said.

“They are working on a process to integrate them back into the nursing facility,” Jackson said.

Jackson said the majority of deaths in the county were likely due to people driving in high water.

“Do not drive through high water. We can not stress this enough,” Jackson said.

Because so many roads are impassable, Pike County Judge Executive Ray Jones has signed an order prohibiting travel unless people are involved in rescue operations, medical personnel, utility workers and other first responders, Jackson said.

Jackson said the county does not yet have a count of how many businesses and homes have been destroyed by the flood.

Perry County businesses damaged

Hazard, in Perry County, was one of the hardest-hit cities in 2022, and the city said in a social media post Saturday night that this round of flooding was worse.

Perry County Emergency Management Director Jerry Stacy estimated the county had performed between 70 and 100 rescues since Saturday evening. As of Sunday morning, 20 people had relocated to a temporary shelter in the Hazard/Perry County Senior Center at the Perry County Park, Stacy said.

“We are still in search and rescue mode right now,” Stacy said.

Floodwaters were beginning to recede by Sunday afternoon, but much of Hazard and other parts of the county still were flooded, Stacy said.

“It’s receding extremely slowly, which is hindering search and rescue,” he said.

In 2022, roughly half of the county was hit by flash floods. This storm has affected the entire county due to high water on the north fork of the Kentucky River, he said.

“We have had a lot of damage to businesses and homes,” Stacy said. An estimate on how many homes and businesses were damaged by the flood waters will take several days to determine, he said.

The city is urging residents to conserve their water after major power outages are affecting the pumping station and plant. The power company is experiencing flooding itself at the plant.

Lee County government buildings hit by flooding

Lee County was hit hard by flooding, too.

Officials shared a photo of a flooded county courthouse basement. The coroner’s office was filled with several feet of water, and alarms could be heard going off in the building Sunday afternoon.

Downtown Beattyville businesses were evacuated around 1 p.m. Sunday after water levels continued to rise and covered many streets, said Blake Slone, director of emergency management for Lee County.

Water was on Main Street and many of the surrounding streets, prompting the order to evacuate. Officials do not have a count of how many businesses or homes had been flooded.

Slone said there were no deaths or swift-water rescues in the county as of Sunday afternoon.

In nearby Estill County, 10 state and county roads were closed due to high water from the still-rising Kentucky River, said Ronnie Riddell, director of emergency management for Estill County.

Riddell said that number could climb as the Kentucky River continues to rise. It is expected to crest sometime Monday morning.

No businesses or homes have reported flooding, Riddell said.

One hundred and forty-two people are being housed at state parks with availability at Pine Mountain, Cumberland Falls and Natural Bridge. Jenny Wiley State Park in Floyd County is full, Beshear said.

The Kentucky Community and Technical College System campus in Breathitt County is also being used as a shelter facility, according to Ryan Quarles, the system’s president.

“We are trying to reiterate to everyone to pay attention to the weather forecast, it has and will change,” Riddell said.

Upcoming weather forecast

Flood watches in Eastern Kentucky were canceled Sunday morning, and shortly thereafter, a winter weather advisory went into effect with up to 2 inches of snow expected in parts of the state.

“If a road isn’t flooded, it could have some slick spots from the snow,” the weather service said.

Going into the week, Kentuckians can expect a bitterly cold week with another storm that will drop several inches of snow across the state.

Temperatures will be near zero degrees, said Bailey, the WKYT meteorologist.

“This will make for a delayed recovery and a lot of hardship,” he said.

If you need help from an emergency response team due to weather impacts, complete the Kentucky Emergency Management form or call 502-607-6665. If you have an emergency or life-threatening situation, call 911 immediately.

This story was originally published February 16, 2025 at 10:47 AM.

Taylor Six

Lexington Herald-Leader

Taylor Six is the criminal justice reporter at the Herald-Leader. She was born and raised in Lexington attending Lafayette High School. She graduated from Eastern Kentucky University in 2018 with a degree in journalism. She previously worked as the government reporter for the Richmond Register.