The death toll from massive flooding in Kentucky rose to 26 on Sunday, and several dozen people remained missing amid a renewed threat of heavier rain.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said on NBC’s “Meet The Press” that the death toll had increased by one since Saturday from last week’s storms and predicted the number would continue to rise in the coming weeks.
“This is one of the most devastating, deadly floods we’ve seen in our history,” he said, “at the water level we’re going to find bodies for weeks, many swept away maybe hundreds of yards more than a quarter mile from the spot, where they got lost.”
As many as 37 people remain missing, according to a daily briefing from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Additionally, more flash flooding was possible in parts of the Appalachian Mountains Sunday and Monday as recent storms roll through, the National Weather Service said. Rainfall rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour were possible in some of the same areas that were flooded last week.
A dozen shelters for flood victims were open in Kentucky with 388 residents as of Sunday, according to FEMA.
Beshear said state police are taking calls from concerned people who are unable to locate loved ones due to patchy cell phone service.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear released a video statement Sunday saying more bodies had been recovered but their deaths could not yet be confirmed in connection with the flooding
Flooding inundates a Kentucky neighborhood as severe weather ravages the state
Teresa Reynolds sits wearily as members of her community clear the debris of their flood-ravaged homes at Ogden Hollar in Hindman, Kentucky on Saturday, July 30, 2022
“We still can’t get into some areas to check on people,” Beshear said. “We are doubling our National Guard. We will work on going door to door, work on finding as many people as possible again. We will even work in the rain. But the weather makes it difficult.”
The governor also released a video statement on Sunday, saying more bodies had been recovered but that it had not yet been confirmed that their deaths were caused by the flooding.
“We are aware of other bodies that have been recovered but cannot confirm these deaths at this time,” he said.
He also provided an update on the recovery effort and announced that mobile homes had arrived in the state over the weekend to provide housing for displaced people.
He warned of impending rains and asked residents to be mindful of their safety, saying emergency agencies would remain available to provide assistance.
“We are here for you today, tomorrow, next week, next year. We’re not going anywhere. We will help you rebuild,” he said.
Flooding overwhelms buildings in Whitesburg, Kentucky, known as the center of Appalachian culture
Aerial views of the flood show valleys and neighborhoods inundated by turbulent brown water
On an overcast morning in downtown Hindman, about 200 miles southeast of Louisville, a crew cleared debris piled along storefronts. Nearby, a vehicle was parked upside down in Troublesome Creek, which now lies back in its debris-strewn banks.
Faced with the threat of more rain, workers toiled non-stop through muddy sidewalks and streets.
“We’ll be here unless there’s a deluge,” said Tom Jackson, who is among the workers.
Jackson was about a two-hour drive from Hindman with a crew from Corbin, Kentucky, where he is the town’s recycling director.
His crew worked all Saturday, and the mud and debris were so thick they managed to clear a furlong of the road. The water that had tumbled from the slopes was of such force that it had bent street signs.
“I’ve never seen water like this,” Jackson said.
Carnage from the flooding caused by heavy rains that have ravaged Kentucky for the past week
A car has overturned in Troublesome Creek in Hindman, Kentucky, where flood water has wreaked havoc
A search and rescue team in Jackson County, Kentucky is searching for victims and survivors of the area’s flooding
In Knott County, Teresa Perry Reynolds’ home was flooded with water and mud. She and her husband took refuge in their 44-foot trailer, but it was submerged by the floodwaters.
“I have the clothes on my back,” she said Saturday when asked what they could salvage.
They found her husband’s wallet after searching for a day and a half. It was left behind when they escaped the rapidly rising waters and went to a neighbor’s house on Thursday. A team of volunteers hauled debris out of their home on Saturday.
Reynolds and her husband are staying with friends. She is a retired teacher and her husband is a retired school administrator.
“All I know is that I’m homeless and I have people to take care of me,” she said.
A National Guardsman rescues a person during flooding that killed 26 people in Kentucky last week
National Guardsmen conduct rescue operations from a boat near Hazard, Kentucky
Volunteers from the local Mennonite community clean up flood-damaged property at a home in Ogden Hollar in Hindman, Kentucky on Saturday, July 30
The rain eased early Friday after parts of eastern Kentucky received between 8 and 10 1/2 inches over 48 hours. About 13,000 utility customers in Kentucky were left without power Sunday, poweroutage.us reported.
President Joe Biden declared a federal disaster to channel relief funds to more than a dozen Kentucky counties.
Last week’s flooding spanned West Virginia, where Gov. Jim Justice declared a state of emergency for six southern counties, and Virginia, where Gov. Glenn Youngkin also issued an emergency declaration that allowed officials to allocate resources in the flooded southwestern part of the country mobilize state.