Update Feb 16 9:15 p.m.:
Governor Andy Beshear shared on social media that now nine people have died from this latest round of severe weather. He says that the latest death was confirmed in Pike County.
Original Post:
Eight people are dead following one of the most severe weather events “in the past decade,” Governor Andy Beshear said during a press conference Sunday afternoon.
Three are confirmed dead in Hart County, including one man as a result of a motor vehicle accident, and a woman and child after being swept away in flood waters.
Another man died in a motor vehicle accident in Nelson County. 73-year-old Donald Keith Nicholson of Manchester was pronounced dead from an accidental drowning Saturday night, and a Pike County man also died as a result of flood waters. A woman in Washington County is also dead, but authorities are unsure of the cause.
The state expects those numbers to grow. According to Beshear, most of those fatalities were a result of people driving through high waters. He urged drivers to never enter flooded roadways, reiterating to turn around, don't drown.
Over 1000 rescues have happened and expect for rescues to continue through the next 24 hours, especially in eastern Kentucky. Hundreds of rescues alone have happened in Pike County, potentially the storm's hardest hit area.
19 active swift water rescue teams working around the clock, mostly in eastern Kentucky. Federal teams also helping out, with crews from Indiana, Ohio, and Tennessee. FEMA has also deployed and is on site.
142 people are currently staying in state parks facility right now: 86 adults and 56 kids are temporarily calling Jenny Wiley State Park home.
Beshear urged the public to not call 911 for non-emergency issues. Contact (502) 607-6665 for non-emergency issues.
