Kentucky rivers rose to near-record levels Monday after heavy rainfall, flooding residential areas and threatening a prominent bourbon distillery in the state capital.
The flooding comes from swollen rivers triggered by a series of ongoing storms that have killed at least 20 people since last week, including 10 in Tennessee, bringing heavy rains and destructive tornadoes to the region.
Even though the storms have finally subsided, the risk of flooding remains high in several other states, including parts of Tennessee, Arkansas and Indiana.
City officials issued evacuations and rescuers in inflatable boats checked on residents in Kentucky and Tennessee, while utilities cut power and gas in areas stretching from Texas to Ohio.
Flooding has forced the closure of the historic Buffalo Trace Distillery, located next to the banks of the Kentucky River, which overflowed its banks near Frankfort.
“I think everyone was amazed at how quickly (the river) rose,” salon owner Jessica Tuggle said.
“Everyone kept saying, 'Stop the rain, stop the rain,' so we could see how bad it was going to be,” she added.
Authorities rerouted traffic and cut utilities in the city as the river was expected to reach record levels on Monday.
More than 500 roads in Kentucky remained closed Monday morning, Gov. Andy Beshear said.
Twenty deaths have been reported since the storms began Wednesday. A 9-year-old boy in Kentucky was caught in floodwaters while walking to a school bus, and a 5-year-old boy in Arkansas died after a tree fell on his family's home, police said.
A 16-year-old volunteer firefighter from Missouri died in a crash while trying to rescue people caught in a storm.
Two men in a golf cart were killed when a tree fell on them on a golf course in Columbus, Georgia, Muskogee County Coroner Buddy Bryan said.
The National Weather Service warned that dozens of communities across multiple states are expected to reach “major flood stage,” which could result in widespread flooding of buildings, roads, bridges and other critical infrastructure.
Mr Beshir said more than 1,000 people were without access to water and about 3,000 were under boil water advisories. He said
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
