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Kentucky Floods' Death Toll Increases to 26, With More Rain Expected
Rescue workers continued to fan out across eastern Kentucky on Sunday, as the death count from floods ravaging the region rose to 26, officials said.
In a statement posted on Facebook, Gov. Andy Beshear said that figure was certain to rise as workers were able to reach more of the areas affected by the flooding, which was triggered by torrential rains.
“We do know of additional bodies that have been recovered,” Mr. Beshear said.
Hundreds of people, many living in poor, rural communities, have been displaced by the floodwaters that have inundated the eastern swath of the state for several days. More rain was in the short-term forecast Sunday, likely complicating rescue efforts, Mr. Beshear said. The National Weather Service said parts of the state would be under a flood watch through Monday morning.
“Next couple of days are going to be hard. We’ve got rain, and maybe even a lot of rain, that is going to hit the same areas,” Mr. Beshear said.
The flooding, which has washed away homes and damaged roads and bridges across 13 counties in eastern Kentucky, is among the worst in state history, the governor said last week.
President Biden approved a disaster declaration for Kentucky on Friday, offering federal funds to help with the recovery efforts.
This summer’s flooding occurred as state authorities were already trying to rebuild parts of western Kentucky that were devastated by tornadoes in December. The twisters were blamed for the deaths of 88 people and caused nearly $3 billion in damage to homes.
So far, more than 1,400 people had been rescued by emergency workers who were being aided by National Guard troops from Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia, state officials said.
Related video: Devastating floods hit Kentucky in the US, death tolls expected to rise
At least 37 people remain unaccounted for, according to a daily briefing from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
In addition to the National Guard troops, first responders and volunteer rescue workers were pouring into the affected counties from elsewhere in Kentucky.
Rescue efforts were being hindered by poor cellphone and internet service in the mountainous part of Appalachia hit by the flooding.
Jordan Yuodis, a spokesman for the Kentucky Emergency Management division, said this region of the state already had spotty communication service “but the storm has wiped it out completely.”
Mr. Yuodis said that scores of rescue workers were using boats and helicopters to search for people.
“Even on a blue-sky day, we might not know where some of these folks are simply because it is so rural,” he said.
“Every resource and asset we have is down there.”
Local churches on Sunday were organizing food and supply drives to help. Frank Hall, pastor of the Burdine Church of God of Prophecy in hard-hit Letcher County, said his small church had suffered heavy damage, with as much as 4 feet of water soaking the church. The floodwater was moving so fast, Mr. Hall said, that it broke through the pantry below and destroyed three refrigerators of food that the church distributes to the community.
“We lost about $3,000 worth of food,” he said. “I waded in on Thursday and got what I could salvage.”
Some of Mr. Hall’s 40 congregants had lost their homes, he said, and at one point last week, he lost contact with several as the flooding raged through the area. Eventually, Mr. Hall said he was able to reach them and account for their well-being. He and others were organizing people to come in and help clean out the church.
“Praise the Lord, nobody is missing now,” Mr. Hall said. “We’re pulling together. We’re going to survive this.”
Write to Dan Frosch at dan.frosch@wsj.com
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