On Friday, February 14th, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear declared a state emergency ahead of flooding caused by substantial amounts of rainfall. Rescues by emergency crews with the Kentucky National Guard and the Kentucky State police have been made in communities throughout the state. Still, 22 lives have been lost due to flooding in Kentucky.
“We were still working on [repairing] 2022 flood damage when this happened,” said Pike County judge executive Ray Jones.
In 2022, entire homes were carried away by floods in Eastern Kentucky. Several of these recovering communities were just hit by more than a month’s worth of rain over the course of 24 hours.
“We just got hit by one of the most significant natural disasters we’ve seen in our lifetime, “ Beshear said at a news conference on Monday, February 17th.
In addition to the significant flooding across the state, Kentucky experienced a decrease in temperatures last week, complicating rescue and cleanup efforts.
“If your power isn’t scheduled to come back on for another couple days, find a warm place,” said Beshear.
On Monday, February 17th, more than 13,000 homes and businesses were without power, a safety concern in areas with cold temperatures.
“There are individuals out there that still need help that are still getting in contact with us,” Beshear said after touring damage in Pike County.
President Donald Trump approved a federal disaster declaration, making federal funding available for communities in need of rescue operations. Flood resources can be found at https://governor.ky.gov/flood-resources.
