Kentucky flooding: Death toll ‘could potentially double’ as people in stricken
Gov. Andy Beshear said the immediate goal is “to get as many people to safety as possible” following what officials have described as unprecedented flooding in the region.
Hundreds of people have been rescued by air and water in recent days by National Guard members from Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia as well as by officers from the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife and State Police.
“It is a really hard thing right now, with how wide the destruction is (and) areas that are impacted, to get any firm number on people that are missing,” said Beshear, urging residents to report missing persons.
Cellphone service is still out in some counties, and water systems are overwhelmed, according to the governor. One hospital had no water.
“To everyone in Eastern Kentucky, we are going to be there for you today and in the weeks, months and years ahead. We will get through this together,” Beshear said in a tweet Saturday.
Hazard, Kentucky, in Perry County is one of the hardest-hit areas in the region, and rescues there remained underway Saturday, Mayor Donald “Happy” Mobelini said.
“We’ve got a team of coroners here working the three-county area with cadaver dogs just trying to find people and identify people,” Mobelini told CNN’s Pamela Brown Saturday.
Mobelini said his discussions with officials in Perry, Breathitt and Knott counties lead him to believe the final figure will be far higher than the current official death toll of 25.
“It’s over 30-some total for just our three counties, and I think that’s just the tip of the iceberg, truthfully,” Mobelini said
Hazard’s water treatment plant is completely offline, with more than 20,000 residents relying entirely on shipments of bottled water. And even after the floodwaters recede, many will not be able to rebuild, the mayor said.
Couple staying in car vow to help with cleanup
Clay Nickles and his wife, McKenzie, spoke to CNN Saturday from their car after their home in the city of Neon, in Letcher County, was damaged two days ago.
“All of our family so far has been accounted for but we have neighbors who have not,” Clay Nickles said.
Nickles described Neon as a tight-knit community, “like Mayberry with Andy Griffith.”
“Everybody, whether they’re family or not, is like family,” he said. “In an event like this typically, if one or two people get devastated, everybody joins in to help. In this situation, everyone is devastated.”
Nickles said they will leave their…
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