Death toll climbs to 37 following deadly Kentucky flood

Gov. Andy Beshear confirmed the death toll due to the deadly flood had reached 37 as of August 2. “The loss is unimaginable,” Beshear wrote on Twitter. “Please, continue to pray for Eastern Kentucky.”

In a press conference on Tuesday August 2 the governor (pictured) said, “One of the reasons this one was so deadly was because it did flood overnight.”

Beshear continued, “People [were] asleep and by the time they woke up, they were already in a very dangerous situation.”

Torrential rains in eastern Kentucky unleashed devastating flash floods, which have killed at least 37 people and many more are still missing.

"Our confirmed count of Kentuckians we've lost has now reached 28," Gov. Andy Beshear said on July 31.

Governor Andy Beshear said that the authorities would most likely continue to find more bodies in the coming weeks.

Photo: Youtube/Governor Andy Beshear

The governor told NBC News, "I know of several additional bodies, and we know it's going to grow...We are going to be finding bodies for weeks."

Tragically four children were confirmed dead as of Saturday, July 30.

Early last week eight to ten inches of rain fell within twenty-four hours in the state. Experts have called the event a "one in a thousand" rain event.

This is the second major national disaster to hit Kentucky over the past seven months.

In December 2021, several tornadoes hit the western part of the state and took the lives of nearly 80 people.

Beshear wrote on Twitter on Sunday, July 31, "There is widespread damage with many families displaced and more rain expected throughout the next day."

Col. Jeremy Slinker, the Kentucky emergency management director told CNN: "The forecast is concerning, and we're watching it very closely, obviously. We also are sending out warnings and making sure everyone knows."

Slinker also told the news outlet: "We're preparing for it and making sure all the residents there are prepared for it because we just don't want to lose anyone else or have any more tragedy."

The National Weather Service has advised that a flood watch is in effect at least until August 1st in southern and eastern Kentucky.

On Thursday, July 28 governor declared an emergency and said that the natural disaster was "one of the worst, most devastating flooding events" in Kentucky's history.

Just twenty-four hours later, President Biden declared the situation in Kentucky a major disaster, allowing federal funding to be given to the state.

The region is among the poorest in the United States, and rescue crews have struggled to reach residents in the areas hit the hardest by the flooding.

According to the governor, as of July 30, rescue crews have completed over 1,200 rescues from boats and helicopters.

Here we can see a rescue operation by  Command Sergeant Major Tim Lewis of the Kentucky National Guard of Candace Spencer and her one-year-old son who had to airlifted to safety.

According to the BBC, at least 33,000 people are currently without electiricity.

In addition the flash floods after the extremely heavy rains caused mudslides and wiped out many important roads.

The governor of Kentucky described the damage invoked by the flood as "just total devastation, the likes of which we have never seen," as reported by Politico.

Governor Beshear went on to say, "We are committed to a full rebuilding effort to get these folks back on their feet."

Beshear continued, "But for now, we're just praying that we don't lose anybody else."