More Rain in Flooded Areas, Curfews Imposed Due to Looting

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Another round of storms hit disaster areas in eastern Kentucky Monday and the death toll rose to 30 as search and rescue operations continue in communities trying to recover from massive flooding, Gov Andy Beshear said.

Hundreds of people remain unaccounted for, Beshear said. More than 12,000 customers remained without power, many because their homes and businesses have been destroyed or aren’t fit for habitation. Shelters were housing at least 300 people.

Parts of eastern Kentucky received between 8 and 10 1/2 inches (20-27 centimeters) of rain over 48 hours last week and the National Weather Service said radar indicated up to 4 inches (10.2 centimeters) of rain fell Sunday in some areas. More severe storms were possible across all the counties affected by the flooding, Beshear said.

“If things weren’t hard enough on the people of this region, they’re getting rain right now,” Beshear said Monday morning during a briefing in the capital.

The governor canceled a trip to Israel that had been scheduled for later this week, saying “I cannot be overseas while the people of eastern Kentucky are suffering.”

Meanwhile, nighttime curfews were declared in response to reports of looting in two of the devastated communities — Breathitt County and the nearby city of Hindman in Knott County.

Breathitt County Judge Executive Jeff Noble declared a countywide curfew from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., County Attorney Brendon Miller said Sunday evening in a Facebook post. The only exceptions will be for emergency vehicles, first responders, and people traveling for work.

“I hate to have to impose a curfew, but looting will absolutely not be tolerated. Our friends and neighbors have lost so much — we cannot stand by and allow them to lose what they have left,” the post said.

Hindman Mayor Tracy Neice also also announced a curfew Sunday night, from sunset to sunrise, due to “excessive looting,” WYMT-TV reported. Both curfews will remain in place until further notice, officials said.

President Joe Biden declared a federal disaster last week to direct relief money to flooded counties, and sent Federal Emergency Management Agency officials to coordinate directly in the recovery.

Last week’s flooding extended to West Virginia, where Gov. Jim Justice declared a state of emergency for six southern counties, and to Virginia, where Gov. Glenn Youngkin also made an emergency declaration that enabled officials to mobilize resources across the flooded southwest portion of the state.

Damage to critical infrastructure and the arrival of more heavy rains hampered efforts Sunday to help Kentucky residents hit by recent massive flooding.

Gen. Daniel Hokanson, chief of the U.S. National Guard Bureau, told The Associated Press about 400 people have been rescued by National Guard helicopter. He estimated that the guard had rescued close to 20 by boat from hard-to-access areas.

At a news conference in Knott County, Beshear praised the fast arrival of FEMA trailers but noted the numerous challenges.

“We have dozens of bridges that are out — making it hard to get to people, making it hard to supply people with water,” he said. “We have entire water systems down that we are working hard to get up.”

Beshear said it will remain difficult, even a week from now, to “have a solid number on those accounted for. It’s communications issues — it’s also not necessarily, in some of these areas, having a firm number of how many people were living there in the first place.”

The governor also talked about the selflessness he’s seen among Kentucky residents suffering from the floods.

“Many people that have lost everything but they’re not even getting goods for themselves, they’re getting them for other people in their neighborhoods, making sure that their neighbors are OK,” Beshear said.

Among the stories of survival that continue to emerge, a 17-year-old girl whose home in Whitesburg was flooded Thursday put her dog in a plastic container and swam 70 yards to safety on a neighbor’s roof. Chloe Adams waited hours until daylight before a relative in a kayak arrived and moved them to safety, first taking her dog, Sandy, and then the teenager.

“My daughter is safe and whole tonight,” her father, Terry Adams, said in a Facebook post. “We lost everything today . everything except what matters most.”

On an overcast morning in downtown Hindman, about 200 miles (322 kilometers) southeast of Louisville, a crew cleared debris piled along storefronts. Nearby, a vehicle was perched upside down in Troublesome Creek, now back within its debris-littered banks.

Workers toiled nonstop through mud-caked sidewalks and roads.

“We’re going to be here unless there’s a deluge,” said Tom Jackson, who is among the workers.

Jackson was with a crew from Corbin, Kentucky, where he’s the city’s recycling director, about a two-hour drive from Hindman.

His crew worked all day Saturday, and the mud and debris were so thick that they managed to clear one-eighth of a mile of roadway. The water rushing off the hillsides had so much force that it bent road signs.

“I’ve never seen water like this,” Jackson said.

Attendance was down for the Sunday morning service at Hindman’s First Baptist Church. Parishioners who rarely miss a service were instead back home tending to cleanup duties caused by floodwaters and mud.

The Rev. Mike Caudill said his church has pitched in to help the reeling community, serving meals and setting up tents for people to pick up cleaning and personal hygiene supplies.

Totes filled with clothes and photos were stacked on retired teacher Teresa Perry Reynolds’ front porch, along with furniture too badly damaged to salvage.

“There are memories there,” she said of the family photos she and her husband were able to gather.

Her husband’s wallet, lost as they escaped the fast-rising water Thursday to go to a neighbor’s house, was later found.

“All I know is I’m homeless and I’ve got people taking care of me,” she said.

Parts of eastern Kentucky received between 8 and 10 1/2 inches (20-27 centimeters) over 48 hours. About 13,000 utility customers in Kentucky remained without power Sunday, poweroutage.us reported.

President Joe Biden declared a federal disaster to direct relief money to more than a dozen Kentucky counties.

Last week’s flooding extended to West Virginia, where Gov. Jim Justice declared a state of emergency for six southern counties, and to Virginia, where Gov. Glenn Youngkin also made an emergency declaration that enabled officials to mobilize resources across the flooded southwest portion of the state.

–Raby reported from Charleston, West Virginia. Associated Press writer Kevin McGill in New Orleans contributed to this report.

About the photo: In this aerial image, a car drives over a bridge in Eastern Kentucky on Saturday, July 30, 2022, after historic rains during the week flooded many areas of Kentucky killing at least two dozen people. (Michael Clevenger/Courier Journal via AP)