At least eight people died following torrential rains which caused immense flooding in the east of the American state of Kentucky, announced its governor, Thursday July 28, who fears that the balance sheet will increase further.
“We are witnessing one of the worst and most devastating floods in Eastern Kentucky’s history”Democratic Governor Andy Beshear told reporters. “There are many Eastern Kentucky people on their roofs waiting to be rescued. » He later said that eight deaths, including that of an 81-year-old woman, had been confirmed, and that he expected a death toll. “double digit”. A number of people are missing.
In the area around Jackson, some roads have become rivers, with abandoned cars here and there. At the bottom of the small valleys surrounded by forests, the land was flooded Thursday with light brown muddy water that left only the roofs of buildings and trees protruding in some places. Parts of Kentucky received about 20 centimeters of rain in twenty-four hours.
“Hundreds of people will lose their homes”
The governor declared a state of emergency in several counties, and four National Guard helicopters, as well as rigid inflatable boats, were deployed to help with relief operations. “A lot of people need help”said the governor. “And we’re doing our best to reach every single one of them. »
But “the situation is difficult”he admitted. “Hundreds of people are going to lose their homes and this is going to be a new event requiring not months, but probably years, for families to rebuild and recover. »
Some 25,000 people are without electricity, some without running water, in the state, he said. President Joe Biden has been kept informed of the situation, his spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said. The head of the US Disaster Management Agency (FEMA), Deanne Criswell, is due to go there on Friday.