As rains start to soak eastern Kentucky this weekend, Mimi Pickering looks anxiously at the windows of Whitesburg town, the North Fork Kentucky River keeps rising, rising and rising .
Will it swallow the bridge to the historic high street again? Like a few years ago, would the media and arts education centers that she was a board member suffer?
“It looks a lot like the 2022 flood – it feels like, ‘We’re here again, it’s incredible,'” said film producer Ms. Pickering. “When it rains, it’s causing it for people, Just added PTSD.”
By Monday morning, Clear images of the damage caused by the storm have emerged: at least 11 people died in the state, and the death toll is expected to rise. Hundreds of people were displaced, and more than 14,000 people were not authorized. More than 1,000 rescues with National Guard members were activated from three states. Roads on at least 300 State and Federal Roads are closed. Seven wastewater systems were shut down, including one underwater system. More than 17,000 homes without access to drinking water.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said in a Monday news conference that there could be more grim news, warning that up to six inches could be dumped in the next few days. He urged Kentuckians to stay home and allow emergency boats, vehicles and workers to reach those in need.
“This is one of the worst weather events we have dealt with in at least a decade,” he said.
Winter weather consultations take effect in Kentucky in Kentucky Tuesday to Thursday morning, according to the National Weather Service, the Bureau warned that the weather warnings are expected to drop to teenagers and 20s as temperatures are expected to drop to 20s, according to the National Weather Service. Said dangerous driving conditions and potential black ice.
From tornadoes to mudslides and floods and more, Kentucky endured an unfortunate streak that stretched too many uncomfortable years to be hit by a climate disaster. Just over the past four years, 45 people have been killed in eastern Eastern Kentucky in 2022. A tornado on the western side of the state killed 80 people in the first 12 months.
This time, Mr. Beshear said the damage was different because no particular area was destroyed, such as the flood that destroyed eastern Kentucky in 2022 – but the damage was spread more evenly than catastrophic. He also said the state is ready for its experience with other disasters – in positioning personnel and equipment, and is quickly coordinated with the White House and the Federal Emergency Administration.
“We learn from everyone and then try to rebuild so that the next one we lose and the next one we lose,” he said.
According to Mr. Beshear and emergency officials, the worst hit area was Pike County, located in the eastern corner of the state, adjacent to West Virginia and Virginia. In neighboring states, as of early Monday morning, nearly 85,000 customers had no electricity, according to PowerOutage.us.
Pikeville-based retired painter Larry McManamay said Sunday that his basement slowly rose water, which contains thousands of dollars in tools, furniture and personal belongings. He was also concerned about the risk of fire due to the now flooded power outlet, so he eventually evacuated to a nearby motel.
“This is bad, there’s nothing we can do,” he said.
Chandra Massner, a communications professor at the University of Pikeville, said she lost power for a long time on Saturday and Sunday, and because of the water, Without retreating, she could not leave the house. However, some of the people she knows are in a more unstable situation, especially as the temperature drops and the roads are still impassable.
“They were stuck,” she said. “They couldn’t leave. They had no power. It was a big terrible situation for many of my friends and neighbors.”
She noted that although her county Pike was spared in 2022, no one would be subject to the fantasy of immunity.
“There is always the next storm,” she said. “We seem to have suffered the flood range we deserve in the area, which is heartbreaking destruction.”
Amanda Lewis, about 40 miles southwest of Pikeville in Letcher County, owner of the crafty mom treasure in downtown Whitesburg, said she said in 2023 Stores were opened in February in a building that was flooded last year. But when she visited the store on Sunday, the water had risen to waist level, and the basement where she kept the stock was destroyed.
“Everything is starting to get normal, and now everything is getting messy,” she said. “There is destruction everywhere.”
Ms. Lewis, 44, also worked as a respiratory therapist at Parkville Medical Center, said many of her neighbors were not that lucky, even though her home was not damaged. In fact, many people have just started to go home after being flooded in 2022.
“Rain, PTSD, a lot of people have it, it’s just the sound of rain, it’s so bad,” she said. “I mean, your heart is addicted to everyone who has to swim and lose everything.”
Pastor Todd Hicks, who is in Clay County, about 75 miles west of Whitesburg, said he could see through the church by watching it in the church The remote camera says the basement has about five feet of water. He said there could be mold problems and the hot water pump could be affected as well.
He said the church was a refuge for many people after the devastating floods in eastern Kentucky in 2022. “We are where they come,” he said. “Now, I hope and pray that we can get some help in the time of trouble.”
Rachel Nosttrant and Claire Mosey Contribution report.
