At least 28 dead in devastating Kentucky floods, more rains ahead

The death toll from devastating floods in the US state of Kentucky has climbed to 28, including children, with authorities fearing more fatalities as search and rescue operations continue.

Kentucky governor Andy Beshear said on Sunday that the number of casualties would likely increase significantly and it could take weeks to find all the victims.

“We are still focused on meeting the immediate needs of providing food, water and shelter for thousands of our fellow Kentuckians who have been displaced by this catastrophic flood,” he said.

“At the same time, we have started on the long road to eventual recovery.”

According to a daily briefing from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, affiliated with the US Department of Homeland Security, as many as 37 people remain unaccounted for.

"This is one of the most devastating, deadly floods that we have seen in our history. … And at a time that we're trying to dig out, it's raining," Beshear told NBC's “Meet the Press” on Sunday.

"We're going to work to go door to door, work to find, again, as many people as we can. We're even going to work through the rain. But the weather is complicating it," he said.

Death toll from flash flooding in Kentucky rises to 25

Death toll from flash flooding in Kentucky rises to 25 dead and at least a dozen missing.

He said some affected areas are inaccessible due to hazardous conditions such as downed power lines and the state doesn’t have a “firm grasp” on the number of missing due to cuts in cellphone service.

The death toll caused by torrential rain that began on Wednesday is expected to rise further.

“With the level of water, we’re going to be finding bodies for weeks, many of them swept hundreds of yards, maybe a quarter-mile-plus from where they were lost,” the governor said.

Among the most tragic stories has been the death of four siblings who had clambered onto their roof to escape rising floodwaters. After the roof collapsed, the family clung to tree branches, according to an account in the Herald-Leader. A swell of water swept the children away.

The disaster has led to flash flooding, landslides and mudslides, displacing hundreds of residents and causing “hundreds of millions of dollars” in damage, the governor said in a YouTube video posted Sunday.

The Kentucky floods were caused by 1-in-1,000-year rainstorms that scientists say are emblematic of the type of extreme weather that will become more common as the earth warms. 

The National Weather Service is predicting several rounds of showers and storms for the area from Sunday through Tuesday, with flash flooding possible.

A “brief dry period” is expected Wednesday, but Thursday could bring more rain.

“Next couple days are going to be hard,” Beshear said in the YouTube video.

“We’ve got rain and maybe even a lot of rain that’s going to hit the same areas. Please pray for the people in these areas, and if you are in the areas that are going to get hit by rain, make sure you stay safe. Make sure you have a place that is higher ground. Go to a shelter.”

The Biden administration added individual assistance to the Major Disaster Declaration to help the people of eastern Kentucky who "have lost everything”.

"I’m taking more action to help the families being displaced and lives lost," President Joe Biden said in a statement.

The eastern Kentucky flooding is the latest in a series of extreme weather events that are being linked to climate change.

Nearly 60 people were killed in western Kentucky by a tornado in December 2021.

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