Death toll from devastating KY floods rises to 7 after another death reported
The recent devastating storm system that brought a barrage of rain, high winds and fast-rising floods that swamped many Kentucky communities has claimed additional lives, Gov. Andy Beshear announced Thursday.
The most recent deaths were reported in Carroll and Pendleton counties. The death toll from the flooding now stands at seven.
Beshear initially said the Carroll County death was in Campbell County before issuing a correction Thursday afternoon.
Carroll County Coroner Brent Stucker identified the victim as 67-year-old Ronald Campbell, from Pennsylvania. Stucker said Campbell had visited the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green and was driving back home on I-71 Tuesday when he got detoured by GPS onto a flooded road.
The road should have been barricaded but wasn’t, according to Stucker. Campbell drove into high water and was found dead Wednesday.
Later in the day Thursday, Beshear also announced a person from Pendleton County had died.
“Each of these, children of God, missed by their families and by their communities,” Beshear said. “Please pray for them.”
Beshear said the state will be reaching out to victims’ families and offering to pay for the funerals through the Team Kentucky Storm Relief Fund. The fund has raised $992,000, and funeral expenses are its first priority.
The storm system, which began April 2, dumped rain across the state for several days, swelling waterways, covering roads and leading to evacuations. The first reported death was a 9-year-old boy in Frankfort who was swept away by floodwaters as he walked to his bus stop.
Other deaths attributed to the floodwaters are a 74-year-old woman from Nelson County, a 27-year-old man from McCracken County, a 65-year-old man from Trigg County and a 50-year-old man from Bullitt County.
Flooded rivers have either crested or begun receding in the past couple of days. However, there are still water-covered roads and several communities dealing with high water, and Beshear encouraged people to avoid the high water.
“Do not drive through water,” Beshear said. “When you do, you put your life on the line and you put the lives of everyone who is going to try and rescue you on the line.”
Beshear also asked people beginning the cleanup process to be careful.
“Make sure you don’t overexert yourself,” Beshear said. “Take breaks. Make sure that you got the right type of equipment. Recognize that mold can spread really quickly.”
Beshear to apply for FEMA assistance
Beshear announced he plans to submit an application for FEMA individual assistance Friday. Beshear said the initial application is likely only going to include 10-12 counties, despite about 70 counties declaring local state of emergencies.
Beshear said the reason why he’s including only a few counties in the application is to present the best possible application to the federal government. If the application is approved, Beshear said the state plans to add more counties.
“We’ve been through enough of these, we know that that is the fastest, most effective and most efficient process to do it,” Beshear said. “I know when we make this application, and hopefully it gets signed off on, we’ll put out that list of 10-12 counties. Rest assured there will be more.”
Individual assistance would open up additional funds for local governments and people affected by the flood. Individual assistance was approved by President Donald Trump for February’s major flooding event and subsequent frigid weather.
Beshear and FEMA are already planning for the application’s approval. Beshear said FEMA officials are already planning where disaster recovery centers will be located.
“They recognize it’s going to be a massive operation for FEMA, given how many counties have been hit, but they are really putting in a lot of planning,” Beshear said.
This story was originally published April 10, 2025 at 1:27 PM.
