Death Toll Attributed to Kentucky Flooding Event Continues to Rise

The death toll in the flooding event across the southern U.S. last week now stands at 14. Here is the latest on this situation as well as a look at why flooding is more deadly than tornadoes.

Rising Water Levels Continue to Raise Flooding Threat in Kentucky and Beyond

Days after a mass flooding event gripped several states in the south-central U.S. and beyond and the water is still rising in some areas. Water levels are trending upwards in streams and rivers throughout Kentucky and into the Ohio Valley and the mid-Atlantic. The situation is only worsening this week as a major winter storm barrels through the region bringing snow and bitterly cold temperatures.

The weekend storm dumped heavy rainfall, triggering flash flooding that inundated roads and rushed into homes. There are now 12 confirmed fatalities in Kentucky, including a mother and her 7-year-old child. Another person lost their life in Atlanta when a tree fell on a house. The last confirmed fatality happened in West Virginia.

According to Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, emergency crews from the Kentucky National Guard and the Kentucky State Police launched over 1,000 rescues in flooded zones. First responders went door to door in many areas to search for missing people.

The deadly flooding was produced when over a month's worth of rain fell across Kentucky in less than 24 hours. While the rain has ended, the flooding threat persists as rivers and streams are still overflowing their banks. Beshear said that some of the rivers in Martin County have not yet crested, meaning that residents are still in danger.

Although Kentucky bore the brunt of the impacts from the weekend storm, the flooding also impacted parts of Virginia, West Virginia, Indiana, and Tennessee. For instance, floodwaters in Obion County, Tennesee breached a levee on Sunday. The breach forced mandatory evacuations in the community of Rives with the county also under a state of emergency.