Death toll reaches 9 in Kentucky flooding

At least nine people have died in Kentucky as creeks swelled from heavy rain and water covered roads on Saturday.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said Sunday that hundreds of people stranded by flooding had to be rescued.  Most of the deaths, including a mother and 7-year-old child, were caused by cars getting stuck in high water.

Officials said there have been 1,000 rescues across the state since the storms began. 

President Donald Trump approved the state’s request for a disaster declaration, authorizing the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate relief efforts throughout the state.

Parts of Kentucky and Tennessee received up to 6 inches of rain, said Bob Oravec, a senior forecaster with the National Weather Service.

“The effects will continue for awhile, a lot of swollen streams and a lot of flooding going on,” Oravec said Sunday.

Water submerged cars and buildings in Kentucky and mudslides blocked roads in Virginia late Saturday into Sunday.

The mother and child were swept away Saturday night in Kentucky’s Bonnieville community. In southeastern Kentucky, a 73-year-old man was found dead in floodwaters in Clay County said. There were a total of four deaths in Hart County.


Flooding along I-69 in Ohio County  (KYTC)