news Alerts
There are no new alerts at this time
At least four people have died in flash floods caused by heavy rain and multiple thunderstorms in Kentucky, officials said, a severe weather event that prompted Gov. Andy Beshear to declare a state of emergency Saturday.
Limited time: Save 25% on NBC News subscription
Get exclusive reporting, live Q&As and ad-free reading.
Beshear warned Kentucky residents in a video message not to drive after dark, adding that a motorist was swept away and killed by the floods.
“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 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 killed in a weather-related car accident. He said the other two are a man and a woman killed in a flooded basement. He described all three as being aged roughly 40 to 59.
In an update on Sunday, Beshear said the flooding across the state has taken the lives of four people.
“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,” he said. “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 said the storms were more severe than expected, bringing up to eight inches of rain in some parts of the state. Some counties were hit with a record amount of rain in a short period of time, prompting the governor to request public and individual assistance from the federal government, his office said on Sunday.
Over 60 rescues and evacuations have been conducted as of Sunday, according to the governor’s office.
The Million Bible Church on Tates Creek Road in Richmond was destroyed by the inclement weather. Video circulating on social media shows the roof of the church collapsed into floodwaters with debris from the rest of the building surrounding it.
Emergency responders were assisting with rescue operations Saturday, including water rescues from vehicles and homes.
Seventeen cities and counties — Bullitt, Clinton, Cumberland, Garrard, Grayson, Jackson, Jessamine, Madison, Meade, Mercer, Metcalf, Spencer and cities Albany, Brandenburg, Burkesville, McKee and Muldraugh — have declared local states of emergency.
Five search and rescue teams have been sent to the Madison County area, Beshear said, and high-axle vehicles are being used to assist with water rescues. An emergency landing station has opened for flood victims at a local shelter, Madison Home.
After reporting a “moderate dam failure” on Saturday, Bullitt County issued an urgent evacuation notice for some residents in Lebanon Junction, advising them 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.”
Any area can be vulnerable to flash floods, which can occur within minutes to hours of heavy rainfall, swallowing roads and creating dangerous currents in rivers and creeks. Heavier rainfall 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 in the early morning hours of 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 for miles downstream.
Aria Bendix is the breaking health reporter for NBC News Digital.
Samantha Cookinham is an NBC News assignment editor.
© 2026 NBCUniversal Media, LLC