BUCKHORN, Ky. – Devastated communities across eastern Kentucky began digging in earnest Sunday as the state’s death toll rose to 26 and another storm threatened to expand historic flooding.
Dozens of people have yet to be found and some areas remain inaccessible to search and rescue teams. Spotty mobile phone service added to the chaos.
Still, signs of survival and heroism remain everywhere, said Governor Andy Beshear.
“Many people have lost everything, but they’re not even getting the goods for themselves, they’re getting them for other people in their neighborhood, making sure their neighbors are okay,” says Beshear.
The National Weather Service warned that excessive water flow due to showers and thunderstorms Sunday and Monday could lead to further flooding of rivers, creeks and streams across much of central and eastern Kentucky. Rain rates of up to 2 inches an hour can cause flash flooding, especially in areas with repeated thunderstorms.
Hard-hit counties including Floyd, Knott and Perry are among the alerted areas. Electricity, water, shelter and cellular services are key issues in some communities, says Beshear. Flooding has flooded some neighborhoods where people don’t have much to start with, he said, and a heatwave forecast for this week will only add to the suffering.
The floods have caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage and displaced hundreds of people, he said.
“We wanted to make sure we put our arms around the brothers and sisters in East Kentucky and made sure they were okay,” Beshear said. “We’ll be there for you today, tomorrow next week, next year. We’re not going anywhere. We’ll help you rebuild.”
Beshear asks people to donate cleaning supplies or water or donate directly to state flood relief fundwhere 100% of donations go to affected Kentuck people.
►Larger image: Climate change shows the growing gap between the weather we’ve planned – and what’s to come
►In Eastern Kentucky: Flooding brings back memories of previous disasters
►Where is the flood? View photos, videos by drones of the devastation
Near a foot of rain; More is coming
The worst-affected areas of eastern Kentucky received an almost footfall of rain last weekend. The Kentucky River’s North Fork reached 20.9 feet in Whitesburg, 6 feet more than the previous record and hit a record high of 43.5 feet in Jackson, National Weather Service meteorologist Brandon Bonds said. .
The weather agency warned the rains on Sunday and Monday would not end. Thunder is also possible on Tuesday, as well as Thursday through Saturday.
On Sunday, FEMA said dozens of shelters opened for flood victims statewide attracted 388 people. About 70 trailers – purchased by the state for use during the deadly tornado that tore through western Kentucky in December – are being deployed as makeshift shelters.
“Yesterday, our first travel trailers arrived and we are working quickly to establish additional shelter options,” said Beshear.
The state also plans to work with hotels in the area to pay for rooms for displaced residents – and to cover funeral costs for those killed in the floods.
Searchers go door to door
More than 1,200 rescues have taken place. However, many state police stations have received calls from people unable to reach family and friends. The National Guard has been called in and is helping first responders go door-to-door to find as many people as possible, he said. However, heavy rains are making it difficult and impossible to contact some people.
Damage to critical infrastructure is also a challenge for rescuers. Many bridges were damaged and roads washed away, making it difficult for some communities to access water and other much-needed supplies.
“The next few days will be difficult,” Beshear said. “We have rain, and maybe even a lot of rain will fall in the same areas.”
Teenagers spend hours on roofs with dogs
Among the survival stories emerging from the rubble is a 17-year-old girl whose home in Whitesburg flooded on Thursday. Chloe Adams put her dog, Sandy, in a plastic crate and swam 70 meters to safety on a neighbor’s roof, waiting for hours until dawn before a relative on a kayak arrived and took them get out of harm’s way
“She is a hero. I love you Chloe. You are simply amazing,” her father Terry wrote on Facebook in one post featured a picture of his daughter sitting on top of floodwater, clinging to the dog. “Today we lost everything…everything but the most important.”
Training begins in small towns
In southeastern Kentucky, several small mountain towns that were initially difficult to access due to roads blocked by fallen trees or rising water began digging on Sunday. In Buckhorn, a Perry County village of about 130 people, a tributary of the Middle Fork of the Kentucky River carried cars and destroyed several homes in historic flooding Wednesday and Thursday.
One of its key community gathering points has also died down: Buckhorn School, which dates back to the early 1900s and has more than 300 students from across the mountain regions.
Streams of water and debris rising from the Squabble Canal, which ran alongside the school, smashed walls, smashed windows and tore the asphalt in the parking lot into pieces just two weeks before the school year. begin.
Damaged schools offer more than education
Like other schools in the area, the county’s K-12 Buckhorn Public School serves as an important resource hub for students from low-income families, said special education teacher Kristie Combs, 46, said.
Combs, who first surveyed the damage Saturday after water receded from the road leading to her home in a town 20 miles away.
In a nearby neighborhood along the creek where generators buzzed on Saturday, Teresa Engle, 33, said her two children, Haley, 8, and EJ, 6, would likely attend. in another school or district.
For now, Engle says she’s just happy to be alive. In the early hours of Thursday, she said her family had been trapped by the roaring water that reached the door but remained intact. Others are less fortunate.
“We could see cars and houses going by,” she said. “I’ve never been so scared.”
On Saturday, her daughter gave a stuffed animal and a pair of boots to a neighborhood kid whose home was destroyed.
Teachers try to help flood-affected communities
Buckhorn School teachers and students are handing out food, water and supplies to families in need.
High school teacher Jalen Cooper, 27, said: “Some of the children had their homes swept away, explaining that some were staying in hotels and others were packing up in relatives’ homes who had generators. electricity.
“It will take a long time, a lot of effort and a lot of grit,” he said. “But we know how to get through it.”
Knott County’s ‘rainbow line’ is almost washed away
Knott County has the highest death toll at 14, according to local coroners, and four young siblings were among those killed. Residents along Troublesome Creek in the quiet community of Fisty call a short stretch of Kentucky Route 550 “Rainbow Lane.” Each house was painted a different color, but the houses were turned into piles of rubble and properties were destroyed. Some residents retreated to the fire department building at higher elevations as the raging creek caused unprecedented destruction.
“There’s never been anything like this before,” said Bert Combs, 58, topless, gazing at the creek and the remains of Rainbow Lane. The rain, he said, “just keeps coming.”
Rebuilding must take climate change into account
The state must “build back stronger” to compensate for the more intense storms caused by climate change, Beshear said. Roads, bridges, culverts, water and sewage systems and flood walls must be designed to withstand greater intensity, he said.
An infrastructure bill that has bipartisan support is a good start, says Beshear.
“The infrastructure is too expensive,” he said NBC’s “Meet the Press”. “If we really want to be more resilient, we’re going to need a big federal investment, as it does here in the state. We’re ready to do our part.”
White House rushes aid to Kentucky
The Biden administration added personal support to his Great Disaster Statement to help the people of eastern Kentucky who “have lost everything,” noting that the recovery will be long-lasting.
“I am taking more action to help displaced families and those who lost their lives,” President Joe Biden said in a statement.
FEMA says individual assistance can include grants for home repairs and temporary housing, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property damage, and programs. to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of disasters.
Contributors: Lucas Aulbach, Louisville Courier Journal; Related press
Bacon reports from Arlington, Virginia.
