A series of storms that have drenched the eastern portion of the state have dropped water that has not yet reached its peak, causing damage that could take years to repair, said Beshear, who declared a state of emergency Thursday morning (local time). in six provinces.
“We are currently experiencing one of the worst and most devastating floods in Kentucky history,” Beshear said in his emergency statement.
“Hundreds will lose their homes.”
Among the dead was an 81-year-old woman in Perry County.
“This is an ongoing natural disaster, with more rain expected tonight which could exacerbate the situation,” the governor said on Twitter.
The floods left 23,000 households without power and “a number of people” were missing, he said.
Roads resembled rivers, with water as high as the leaves of nearby trees and utility poles poking out of greenish-brown water, in videos posted by local media.
The state has activated the National Guard and state police to use helicopters and boats to rescue people stranded in the floods, Beshear said.
Evacuation centers were opened in state parks and other facilities, but Beshear warned that some facilities themselves were badly hit by the storms and may not have power or amenities.
Fresh water will also be difficult to find in parts of the flooded area, and so trucks will bring in drinking water, he said.
There was a 40 percent chance that the hard-hit area around the town of Hazard in the foothills of Cumberland Mountain in the Appalachians would continue to see heavy rain and storms through Thursday night, and an 80% chance Friday, the National Weather Service said.
The region remains under a flood warning.