The death toll from catastrophic flooding in Kentucky has risen to 25 and is expected to rise further, the governor of the US state said today.
“We have some bad news to report today from eastern Kentucky where we are still in the search and rescue phase,” Andy Beshear tweeted.
“The death toll has reached 25 and this number will probably increase,” added the elected Democrat.
“There are still many people we don’t have any news about and in this area, it will be difficult to give an exact number of missing people,” he told CNN.
Torrential rains lashed the eastern part of the rural state overnight Wednesday into Thursday, turning some roads into rivers and forcing residents to shelter on the roofs of their homes while waiting for rescue teams.
The rain continued on Friday, but the weather gave rescuers a welcome respite on Saturday.
“A cold front is moving south and the weather is expected to remain relatively dry today,” local affiliates of the National Weather Service said, warning that “the dry weather is expected to end Sunday afternoon.”
“Our problem will be on Sunday,” Beshear confirmed to CNN. “It will start raining again and although we estimate that the rainfall will not be unprecedented, the situation will be difficult.”
President Joe Biden declared a state of “natural disaster” and released federal aid to support areas affected by “the storm, flooding, landslides and mudslides.”
With global warming caused by human activities, the atmosphere contains more water vapor, increasing the risks of heavy rainfall, scientists say. These rains, combined with other factors mainly linked to spatial planning, favor floods.
Some parts of Kentucky received as much as 8 inches of rain in 24 hours, and in places, river waters suddenly rose several feet before overflowing their banks.
In the Jackson area, some roads have turned into rushing torrents, with abandoned cars here and there.
In December, dozens of powerful tornadoes ravaged five states in the central United States, mainly western Kentucky, and killed at least 79 people.
Ironically, those tornadoes helped Kentucky better prepare for natural disasters, the governor noted.
“We learned a lot of lessons in western Kentucky with those devastating tornadoes seven months ago,” he said. “We’re providing as much help as we can and we’re providing it quickly from across the state.”
Source: RES-MPE
Source: Capital
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