At least 19 dead in Kentucky floods as governor warns death toll ‘will rise a lot’ – NBC New York

Trapped homeowners swam to safety and others were rescued by boat as a record flash flood killed at least 19 people, according to a BNC News count, in Kentucky and flooded entire Appalachian towns, prompting a frantic search for survivors Friday in some of America’s poorest communities.

Authorities have warned that the death toll is likely to rise sharply as search efforts continue. The rain ended early Friday morning, but some waterways aren’t expected to peak until Saturday, and more storms are expected to pass through the region early next week.

It’s the latest in a series of catastrophic deluges that have hit parts of the United States this summer, including St. Louis earlier this week and Friday again. Scientists warn that climate change is making weather disasters more frequent.

The water rushed down the hills and into the valleys and hollows of Appalachia where it swelled the streams and creeks flowing through small towns. The torrent engulfed homes and businesses and ransacked vehicles. Landslides have trapped some people on steep slopes.

National Guard-backed rescue teams used helicopters and boats to search for the missing. But some areas remained inaccessible, and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said the death toll “is going to get much higher.” It could take weeks to account for all the casualties, he said.

Colombo spent the night at her fiancé’s house in Jackson and they took turns sleeping, repeatedly checking the water with flashlights to see if it was rising. Colombo lost his car but said others had it worse in an area where poverty is endemic.

“A lot of these people can’t recover here. They have houses half under water, they lost everything,” she said.

It’s the latest in a series of catastrophic deluges that have hit parts of the United States this summer, including St. Louis earlier this week and Friday again. Scientists warn that climate change is making weather disasters more frequent.

As rains hit Appalachia this week, water poured down hills and into valleys and hollows where it swelled creeks and streams flowing through small towns. The torrent engulfed homes and businesses and ransacked vehicles. Landslides have trapped some people on steep slopes.

National Guard-backed rescue teams used helicopters and boats to search for the missing. Beshear said Friday that at least six children were among the victims and that the total number of lives lost could more than double as rescue teams reach more areas. Among those who died were four children from the same Knott County family, Coroner Corey Watson said Friday.

President Joe Biden said in a social media post that he spoke with Beshear on Friday to offer the federal government’s support. Biden also declared a federal disaster to direct relief money to more than a dozen counties in Kentucky.

The flooding extended west to Virginia and south to West Virginia.

Gov. Jim Justice has declared a state of emergency for six West Virginia counties where flooding has downed trees, knocked out power and blocked roads. Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin also issued an emergency declaration, allowing officials to mobilize resources in the state’s flooded southwest.

More than 20,000 utility customers in Kentucky and nearly 6,100 in Virginia were left without power Friday night, poweroutage.us reported.

Extreme rain events have become more frequent as climate change bakes the planet and alters weather patterns, say scientists. This is an increasing challenge for disaster managers because the models used to predict storm impacts are partly based on past events and cannot track with flash floods and increasingly devastating heat waves like those that recently hit the Pacific Northwest and southern plains.

“It’s a battle of extremes unfolding right now in the United States,” said Jason Furtado, a meteorologist at the University of Oklahoma. “These are things we expect because of climate change. … A warmer atmosphere holds more water vapor and that means you can produce more heavy rain.

The deluge came two days after record rains around St. Louis dropped more than 31 centimeters and killed at least two people. Last month, heavy snowfall rains on the mountains of Yellowstone National Park triggered historic flooding and the evacuation of more than 10,000 people. In both cases, the rain floods far exceeded forecasters’ forecasts.

Floodwaters raging through Appalachia were so swift that some people trapped in their homes could not be immediately reached, Floyd County Executive Judge Robbie Williams said.

Just west, in hard-hit Perry County, authorities said some people were still missing and nearly everyone in the area sustained damage.

“We still have a lot of research to do,” said Perry County Emergency Management Director Jerry Stacy.

More than 330 people sought refuge, Beshear said. And with property damage so extensive, the governor has opened an online portal for victim donations.

Beshear predicted it would take over a year to fully rebuild.

The governor got a glimpse of the flooding Friday from a helicopter.

“Hundreds of homes, ball diamonds, parks, businesses under more water than I think any of us have ever seen in this area,” the governor said. “Absolutely impassable in many places. Just devastating.

Portions of at least 28 Kentucky state highways were blocked due to flooding or landslides, Beshear said. Rescue teams in Virginia and West Virginia worked to reach people where roads were not passable.

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Contributors include Rebecca Reynolds in Louisville, Ky., Timothy D. Easley in Jackson, Ky., and Sarah Brumfield in Silver Spring, Md.,