Beshear Tours Flood Damage in Calloway County

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear was in Calloway County Tuesday morning to assess recent flood damage after heavy downpours over the weekend dumped nearly six inches of rain in places in just a matter of hours.

Beshear issued a state of emergency on Sunday due to the extent of the damage caused by major flash flooding that left vehicles, homes and businesses severely damaged, and many roads washed out. That declaration comes after Calloway County Judge Executive Kenny Imes issued a local state of emergency.

Beshear surveyed flood damage from the air in a National Guard helicopter. He then spoke about what he saw during a press conference at Kyle-Oakley field.

"We've got a lot of structural damage here in Murray, but think about it, to our knowledge we don't have one lost life. That's people protecting people, realizing what our priorities are, and knowing that we can rebuild," Beshear said. "I'm here today to promise that the state is going to do everything it can to be a good partner in moving forward, in digging out, and in rebuilding."

Beshear said Kentucky National Guard troops are on the ground across the commonwealth to help those in need, providing rescue operations as well as cleanup efforts to help the hardest hit areas get back to normal as quickly as possible.

"Our National Guard heroes more than 70 strong are on the ground throughout Kentucky helping in both saving lives and rescue, but also debris removal and making our roads clear again so we can move around and get to work," Beshear said. "Utility crews are also working across Kentucky to restore power." 
 
Beshear said the level of damage is likely to be sufficient to qualify for a national disaster declaration, which will mean more money from the federal government to assist those affected by the flooding.
   
"There's been coordination across all of our state cabinets that are involved to make sure that we can respond, remove red tape, and make sure we can get a full accounting of these events. We believe that they are likely to qualify for a national declaration by the President, which will provide additional funding." Beshear said.

Imes thanked Calloway County residents for coming together and helping each other out, and Governor Beshear for his quick response.

"Everybody has pulled together as a team, and that truly I think is who I think Calloway County is. That's what I think makes Calloway County one of the greatest places on the face of this earth. Governor, I just want to tell you how much I appreciate the speed with which you're handling this and the resources you've offered." Imes said. 

Murray Mayor Bob Rogers said the city will continue to work to provide assistance wherever needed, and pledged to look into ways to help mitigate future problems in areas that are prone to flooding. 

"We've tried to work with the county and offer any assistance that we can to them, and they to us. We'll continue to work together and we'll get through this," Rogers said. "Certainly this has identified to us some areas that we're gonna have to try to figure a way to stop this flooding. There's some areas that get hit every time."