Kentucky [US], February 17: At least eight people have died after a powerful storm swept through Kentucky, resulting in flooding that inundated roads and homes, Governor Andy Beshear announced on Sunday. An official said one person died in Georgia, CNN reported.
Beshear said emergency responders are in search and rescue phase and have conducted more than 1000 rescues in over 24 hours. He called the storm as "one of the most serious weather events we've dealt with in at least a decade."
Video footage from multiple states showed vehicles submerged in floodwaters, toppled trees and inundated houses with reports about flooded roads, businesses and homes in Tennessee, Kentucky and Virginia.
According to officials, water levels have reached historic highs in Kentucky as the storm gained momentum on Saturday. Beshear on Sunday stressed that it had "massive" impact to the state and mentioned about "hundreds of water rescues" and "multiple fatalities," CNN reported.
In a post shared on X, Andy Beshear stated, "We need Kentuckians to remain alert. There are more than 300 road closures, with @KYTC leaders saying the statewide impact is historic. From mudslides in the east to snow in the west, the situation is dangerous. Please plan ahead, avoid travel and stay safe, Kentucky."
https://x.com/govandybeshear/status/1891103463787975089?s=46
Kentucky Governor said that the deaths include at least one child. He said, "We believe this number is going to grow." He urged people of Kentucky to stay off the roads and said motor vehicle accidents were behind several of the death.
Beshear declared a state of emergency for Kentucky ahead of the storm on Friday. He thanked US President Donald Trump for giving approval to federal disaster declaration, making federal aid funding available to affected regions.
On Sunday, Kentucky Emergency Management Director Eric Gibson said that the severe weather event will "continue for several more days." Beshear warned of continued flooding in coming days. He said that the Federal Emergency Management Agency is on site in Kentucky, along with 146 soldiers and airmen from the Kentucky National Guard.
Evacuation has been prompted due to intense rain and flooding. In addition, hundreds of thousands of customers across several states faced power outages. Flash flood emergencies and warnings have been issued for parts of West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Arkansas through Sunday morning.
Flood watches in some of the parts will continue into Monday. Several tornado warnings were issued in Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee on Saturday, before the storm pushed into Georgia on Sunday.
According to PowerOutage.us, as of 2:20 pm ET, at least 108,028 customers in Georgia, 75,724 in Alabama, 61,637 in West Virginia, 61,520 in Virginia, 29,628 in Kentucky were without power. Water systems in Kentucky have also been impacted by the extreme flooding.
According to Governor's office news release, 9,800 service connections were without water and 21,000 were under boil water advisories on Sunday. According to the news release, 100 residents at a Kentucky nursing home were evacuated to a local church, CNN reported.
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin said on Sunday he had given an Expedited Major Disaster Declaration to Trump, citing "significant damage that is affecting community lifelines." A flash flood emergency was issued for Tazewell, Mercer and Summers counties in Virginia, where swift water rescues have been made since Saturday.
A nursing home in Red Boiling Springs, Tennessee was forced to evacuate residents on Saturday due to rising waters, according to Macon County Emergency Medical Services. County EMS said multiple agency helped to safely take 52 residents to another facility, where they will stay until water levels recede. According to Virginia Task Force 4, at least 51 people, 17 dogs and eight cats were rescued overnight in the Richlands, Virginia area.
A resident of Manchester, Kentucky, aged 73 years, died in the Horse Creek area after being swept away by floodwaters on Saturday night, according to officials. The 73-year-old man was driving on Kentucky Highway 8, according to the Clay County Coroner's Office. Speaking to CNN, the coroner's office said that the was carried away by the heavy currents after leaving the vehicle.
Two more people died in Kentucky after a vehicle was swept away amid flash flooding in Hart County at around 10:30 pm (local time) on Saturday, according to a National Weather Service report. One person died in the Grove Park area of Atlanta overnight when a large tree fell on a home amid "tremendous thunderstorm activity" in the area, according to Atlanta Fire Capt. Scott Powell said.
He said that fire units responded to a call made just before 5 am (local time) and found one person trapped in the house. He said, "There was an extended operation to remove that person. Unfortunately, it did result in a fatality," according to CNN report.
The storm looks set to wane by Monday. However, parts of the Great Lakes could be buried by lake-effect snow in its wake. More than 10 million people in the US remain under a winter storm warning that will last through Monday morning from upstate New York to New England.
Source: Times of Oman
