Death toll Kentucky floodwaters rise to 37, hundreds still missing

• At least 37 people have died in flash floods in eastern Kentucky.
• Governor Andy Beshear said “hundreds” of people are still missing.
• Over 12,000 households were still without electricity.

As the country braces for further rain, at least 37 people have died in flash floods in eastern Kentucky. At least six children were killed, including four siblings aged one to eight who were allegedly swept from their parents’ grasp.

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear claimed the death toll would continue to grow because “hundreds” of people were still missing.

Over 12,000 households were still without electricity, and hundreds of houses and businesses were inundated.

The governor stated on Monday that the damage to roads, bridges, and other infrastructure will cost millions of dollars to repair.
Mr. Beshear said he saw “houses swept away” and “schools ruined” when touring some of the hardest-hit neighborhoods over the weekend.

This is the region’s greatest flash flooding in decades.

Mr. Beshear described the flood as “the deadliest and the most devastating of my lifetime,” adding, “If things weren’t hard enough on the people of this region, they’re getting rain right now.”

Locals who have been displaced have sought sanctuary in state parks, churches, and mobile homes provided by the state. Officials estimate about 300 individuals are in shelters.

Mr Beshear stated that many people  “only have the clothes on their backs”.  “Everything is ruined.”

Two devastated counties have issued overnight curfews in response to accusations of “excessive looting.”

“I hate to have to impose a curfew, but looting will absolutely not be tolerated,” a Breathitt County official wrote on Facebook on Sunday evening.

“Our friends and neighbors have lost so much – we cannot stand by and allow them to lose what they have left.”

Eva Nicole Slone, 50, was one of those killed. She had gone out in the storm in Knott County on Thursday to check on an elderly neighbor.

Ms Slone’s body was discovered the next day near her home, according to her daughter, who spoke to the Lexington Herald Leader newspaper.

Four children, ages two, four, six, and eight, perished after their trailer home was carried away in Knott County.

President Joe Biden declared the flooding a “major disaster” and directed federal assistance to assist local rescuers.

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