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At least four people have died after torrential rain unleashed flash flooding across Kentucky, where emergency crews continued searching for survivors Sunday as officials worked to assess the damage and seek federal disaster assistance.
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Gov. Andy Beshear said the storms dumped up to 8 inches of rain in parts of the state, killing at least four people and prompting more than 60 rescues and evacuations.
“While we are still in the search-and-rescue phase, we are also working quickly to survey damage to submit a request for federal assistance,” Beshear said Sunday. “People have lost their homes and so much more, and this type of support will be essential as we work to recover and rebuild together.”
Beshear declared a state of emergency Saturday and urged residents to stay off the roads after dark, saying a motorist was swept away and killed by the floodwaters.
“We know we’ve already lost at least a handful of Kentuckians. I don’t want to lose any more. Be safe, everyone,” he said in a video message.
In Madison County, three adults died in the flooding, county Coroner Jimmy Cornelison said. Their identities have not been publicly released.
Cornelison said one of the three was a man who was killed in a weather-related car accident. He said the two others are a man and a woman killed in a flooded basement. He said all three were 40 to 59 years old.
Kentucky State Police Trooper Bryan Washer said one of two juveniles who were trapped in a Ford Mustang that had entered a flooded creek in Hardin County died Sunday at Norton Children’s Hospital in Louisville.
The driver, a 44-year-old man, was treated at a hospital for minor injuries and released before being booked into Hardin County Detention Center based on an allegation of driving under the influence, Washer said. “DUI and weather were both a factor in this collision,” he added.
The other juvenile was also treated for minor injuries and released, and the incident was under investigation, the trooper said.
Emergency responders carried out water rescues from flooded vehicles and homes throughout the weekend. Five search-and-rescue teams were deployed to Madison County, where high-axle vehicles were being used to reach stranded residents.
Seventeen cities and counties — Bullitt, Clinton, Cumberland, Garrard, Grayson, Jackson, Jessamine, Madison, Meade, Mercer, Metcalf, Spencer counties and the cities of Albany, Brandenburg, Burkesville, McKee and Muldraugh — declared local states of emergency.
After it reported a “moderate dam failure” on Saturday, Bullitt County issued an urgent evacuation notice advising some residents in Lebanon Junction to move to higher ground. Hours later, the county reported on Facebook that “flood waters may be starting to recede in some areas, but the danger is not over.”
Million Bible Church on Tates Creek Road in Richmond was destroyed. Video circulating on social media showed the church’s roof collapsed into floodwaters, with debris from the rest of the building surrounding it.
Flash floods can develop within minutes to hours of heavy rain, swallowing roads and creating dangerous currents in rivers and creeks. Heavier rain driven by climate change has contributed to more frequent and severe flooding in many parts of the U.S.
Catastrophic floods in the Texas Hill County last year killed 139 people, including 25 girls, two teenage counselors and the director at a Christian summer camp. The floods began early July 4, while many people were still asleep in their homes and visitors were camped along the Guadalupe River in anticipation of the Fourth of July. The river surged to unprecedented heights in less than an hour, carrying homes and vehicles miles downstream.
Aria Bendix is the breaking health reporter for NBC News Digital.
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