“There is extensive damage with many families displaced and more rain expected next day,” the governor tweeted on Sunday. “I know a lot of extra bodies and we know it’s going to increase,” the governor told NBC News. “We’ll be finding bodies for weeks.” Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Four children have been confirmed dead since Saturday, and the governor told NBC News he feared the number would rise by at least two on Sunday. The governor said bodies will continue to emerge as responders reach more remote areas. More rain could arrive in the coming days with the National Weather Service saying several rounds of showers and thunderstorms are expected through Tuesday. A flood watch was in effect through Monday morning for areas in southern and eastern Kentucky, the agency said. Kentucky National Guard helicopter crew members transport a flood victim during their deployment in response to a declared emergency in eastern Kentucky, U.S. July 27, 2022. U.S. Army National Guard/Update via REUTERS read more The flooding was the second major national disaster to hit Kentucky in seven months, following a cluster of tornadoes that claimed nearly 80 lives in the western part of the state in December. read more Beshear on Thursday declared a state of emergency and described the disaster as “one of the worst, most destructive flood events” in Kentucky history. read more President Joe Biden declared a major disaster for Kentucky on Friday, allowing federal funding to go to the state. There were more than 14,000 reports of power outages in the state Sunday afternoon, according to PowerOutage.US. Damage from the storms could take years to repair, Beshear said. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington. Editing by Hugh Lawson and Lisa Shumaker Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
