As residents in Appalachia tried to slowly piece their lives back together, flash flood warnings were issued for at least seven counties in eastern Kentucky. The National Weather Service said radar showed up to 4 inches (10.2 cm) of rain fell Sunday in some areas, with more rain possible. Beshear said the death toll from last week’s storms rose to 26 on Sunday, a number he expects to rise significantly and that it could take weeks to find all the victims. Up to 37 people are missing, according to a daily update from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. A dozen shelters were open for flood victims in Kentucky with 388 passengers Sunday. Gen. Daniel Hokanson, head of the US National Guard Bureau, told The Associated Press that about 400 people were rescued by a National Guard helicopter. He estimated the guard had rescued nearly 20 by boat from inaccessible areas. At a news conference in Knott County, Beshear praised the quick arrival of the FEMA trailers but noted the numerous challenges. “We have dozens of bridges that are out — making it difficult for people to get to, making it difficult to get water to people,” he said. “We have entire water systems down that we’re working hard to get up.” Beshear said it will remain difficult, even a week from now, to “have a firm number on those who are counted. It’s communication issues – it’s also not necessarily, in some of these areas, a fixed number of people who lived there to begin with.” The governor also talked about the selflessness he’s seen among Kentuckians suffering from the flooding. “A lot of people who have lost everything, but they’re not even getting goods for themselves, they’re getting them for other people in their neighborhoods, making sure their neighbors are OK,” Beshear said. Among the survival stories that continue to emerge, a 17-year-old girl whose Whitesburg home flooded Thursday put her dog in a plastic container and swam 70 meters to safety on a neighbor’s roof. Chloe Adams waited hours until daylight before a relative arrived in a kayak and took them to safety, first taking her dog, Sandy, and then the teenager. “My daughter is safe and secure tonight,” her father, Terry Adams, said in a Facebook post. “We lost everything today…everything but what matters most.” On an overcast morning in downtown Hindman, about 200 miles (322 kilometers) southeast of Louisville, a crew cleared debris that had piled up along storefronts. Nearby, a vehicle was perched upside down in Troublesome Creek, now back on its trash-strewn banks. Workers toiled relentlessly through mud-filled sidewalks and streets. “We’ll be here unless there’s a flood,” said Tom Jackson, who is among the workers. Jackson was with a crew from Corbin, Kentucky, where he is the city’s recycling director, about a two-hour drive from Hindman. His crew worked all day Saturday and the mud and debris was so thick they were able to clear an eighth of a mile of the road. The water that poured down the slopes had such force that it bent road signs. “I’ve never seen water like this,” Jackson said. Attendance was thin for the Sunday morning service at Hindman’s First Baptist Church. Parishioners who rarely miss a service were returning home to clean up their duties caused by flooding and mud. The Reverend Mike Caudill said his church has stepped up to help the struggling community, serving meals and setting up tents for people to pick up cleaning and personal hygiene items. Purses full of clothes and photos were piled on the front porch of retired teacher Teresa Perry Reynolds, along with furniture that was too damaged to save. “There are memories there,” she said of the family photos she and her husband were able to collect. Her husband’s wallet, which was lost as they escaped the fast-rising water to go to a neighbor’s house, was later found. “All I know is that I’m homeless and I have people taking care of me,” she said. Parts of eastern Kentucky received between 8 and 10 1/2 inches (20-27 cm) over a 48-hour period. About 13,000 utility customers in Kentucky remained without power Sunday, poweroutage.us reported. President Joe Biden declared a federal disaster to direct relief money to more than a dozen Kentucky counties. Last week’s flooding extended into West Virginia, where Gov. Jim Justice declared a state of emergency for six southern counties, and into Virginia, where Gov. Glenn Youngkin also issued an emergency declaration that allowed officials to mobilize resources in the flooded Southwest her condition.
Raby reported from Charleston, West Virginia. Associated Press writer Kevin McGill in New Orleans contributed to this report.
