FRANKFORT, Ky. — Four people have died due to flooding from thunderstorms in Kentucky, Gov. Andy Beshear announced as he declared a state of emergency on Saturday.
As much as 12 inches of rain fell in some parts of Kentucky on Friday and Saturday, and lighter rain added to the saturated ground Sunday. Heavy rain also fell in parts of southwestern Indiana, the National Weather Service said.
Beshear said on social media that three people had died in Madison County and one in Jackson County due to flooding.
A man and a woman were found dead inside their house after floodwaters inundated a section of Richmond, Ky., and trapped residents inside their homes, according to the Madison County coroner’s office.
Another victim was extracted from a vehicle trapped in floodwaters on Tates Creek Road near Lexington, the coroner’s office said.
Carlos Coyle, the deputy Madison County coroner, said search and rescue teams were going door to door searching for victims in hard-hit areas. Some areas still were not accessible, he said.
Beshear said on social media there were “significant roads underwater” in Madison County. He also said at least 12 state roads were “out of commission” because they were flooded.
“This is a serious flooding event, where teams have already had to conduct multiple water rescues from vehicles and homes across the commonwealth,” he said in a separate statement. “As more heavy rain continues … we need folks to remain alert and to avoid driving, especially after dark when there is limited visibility.”
In northwest Kentucky, just outside Louisville, Bullitt County emergency management officials asked residents of a rural road to evacuate as a precaution after a landslide at a dam embankment. The dam was holding, and there was no indication of imminent failure, they said.
The area saw about 3 inches of rain over two days, according to the National Weather Service.
