As parts of Kentucky continue to assess the damage from the past week’s floods, Gov. Andy Beshear is warning residents of more rain and potential flooding to come Sunday night into Monday morning.
Next couple days are going to be hard. There will probably be more rain that’s going to hit the same areas. And if you are in the areas that are going to get hit by rain, make sure you stay safe. Make sure you have a place that is higher ground. Go to a shelter. Beshear says.
The flooding killed at least 26 people, but that number is probably higher. Beshear noted that officials are aware of additional bodies being recovered, but until they can confirm those deaths they are not including them in the total number of casualties.
The National Weather Service put out a flood watch for portions of east central Kentucky, north central Kentucky, northwest Kentucky and south central Kentucky on Sunday where showers and thunderstorms are expected.
The weather organization warned that rainfall could come down at a rate of 1 to 2 inches an hour and that it would again bring the threat of flash floods.
The threat of more flooding is concerning as hundreds of people have already been displaced from flooding earlier in the week.
Government officials are continuing to work on relief for the affected people. Many state parks have been opened to provide lodging for those whose houses have been damaged and destroyed, and Beshear said they were working on adding more space to those areas by providing travel trailers to help with lodging.
“We want to make sure we wrap our arms around our Eastern Kentucky brothers and sisters and make sure that they are OK,” Beshear said.
In areas where water has receded, residents are busy salvaging what they can of their possessions, with wreckage scattered across roadways and yards filled with ruined furniture and clothing.
WUKY’s Karyn Czar contributed reporting.