Topline
President Donald Trump issued an emergency declaration for Kentucky on Sunday afternoon after the state and surrounding areas were hit by devastating flooding, which has so far left at least eight people dead in Kentucky and one in Georgia, while tens of thousands are still without power.
Cars sit in floodwaters at a railroad underpass in Louisville, Kentucky, on Feb. 16.
Key Facts
Storms across Kentucky on Saturday into early Sunday dropped more than six inches of rain in some parts of the state, according to the National Weather Service, which caused flash flooding that has affected roadways and flooded buildings.
Trump issued an emergency declaration for the state at 3 p.m. EST, which authorizes the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to conduct disaster relief efforts.
Eight people have so far been confirmed to have died in the storms, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said Sunday afternoon.
The deaths were largely among people whose cars got stuck in the flooding, Beshear said, with a mother and her 7-year-old daughter among the victims.
Emergency crews have had to perform more than 1,000 rescues from the flooding and 19 active crews are still performing rescues, Beshear’s office reported Sunday afternoon, noting emergency crews from neighboring states, the Kentucky National Guard and state troopers are also responding to the crisis.
More than 39,000 customers in Kentucky were without power as of noon Sunday, according to Beshear’s office, while 9,800 customers were without water and 21,000 are under a boil water advisory.
What To Watch For
While the rainfall that caused the flooding ended Sunday, flood warnings still remain in effect throughout Kentucky, according to the NWS, as the heavy rainfall has caused rivers to rise. Areas of the state also face winter weather advisories Sunday with the possibility of up to two inches of snow and heavy winds, ahead of an anticipated snowstorm later this week and freezing temperatures. That forecast “will make for a delayed recovery and a lot of hardship” as Kentucky recovers from the flooding, Chris Bailey, chief meteorologist for local outlet WKYT, told the Lexington Herald Leader.
Severe Weather In Surrounding Areas: Tennessee, Virginia, Georgia, West Virginia
Parts of nearby states including Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia also experienced severe flooding due to storms over the weekend, which left one person dead in Atlanta as a tree fell on the person’s home around 5 a.m. EST on Sunday. The NWS in Memphis reported “rapid onset flooding” Sunday morning after a levee failed in the region, with parts of Tennessee receiving up to six inches of rainfall. Flash flood warnings were similarly issued in parts of Virginia and West Virginia, where flooding resulted in mudslides and some residents in southwestern Virginia being urged to evacuate, according to ABC News.
Key Background
The flooding in Kentucky comes after the state experienced devastating floods in 2022, with some areas of eastern Kentucky receiving up to 16 inches of rain. Those floods killed 45 people. Beshear said Sunday that while the flooding this weekend was on the whole less intense than the worst of the 2022 floods, it was also more widespread, and some parts of the state may face similar impacts to a few years ago. “The difference between the 2022 flooding and this, is this hit the whole state,” Beshear said, as quoted by the Lexington Herald Leader. “We have flooding in Western Kentucky, we have flooding in Eastern Kentucky. So when we ultimately look at the overall damage caused, it might be more comparable in the end than we think.“
Further Reading
At least 8 dead in ‘historic’ Kentucky flooding. Emergency disaster declared (Lexington Herald-Leader)
At least 9 people are dead, including 8 in Kentucky, amid latest blast of winter weather (Associated Press)
