At least 10 people have lost their lives following torrential downpours that inundated parts of the southeastern United States over the weekend, submerging roads and homes.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear confirmed nine fatalities in his state and declared an emergency disaster situation. Around 1,000 individuals had to be rescued from floodwaters, with authorities working tirelessly to provide aid.
Meanwhile, Georgia reported another fatality when an uprooted tree crashed into a home, striking a man in his bed.
Several states, including Kentucky, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina, were under storm-related alerts. These states also suffered significant damage from Hurricane Helene in September. Power outages impacted hundreds of thousands of homes, though that number was reduced to tens of thousands by early hours of today, according to monitoring site PowerOutage.us.
Some regions of Kentucky received up to 6 inches (15 cm) of rainfall, causing river levels to rise rapidly and trapping vehicles in feet of water.
Footage online showed flooded streets and emergency responders navigating the devastation. Among those who perished were a mother and her seven-year-old child, as well as a 73-year-old man.
Residents in hard-hit areas expressed their distress, including Danny Laferty of Knott County, who told CNN he feared losing everything again after previously rebuilding from severe flooding two years ago. “The type of flooding we’ve seen recently is different,” he lamented.
Governor Beshear formally requested an emergency disaster declaration from the White House, which President Donald Trump approved on Sunday. This authorization enables the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to coordinate disaster relief efforts, despite Trump’s previous suggestions about dismantling the agency.
In Tennessee’s Obion County, heavy rains led to a levee break, triggering rapid flooding. The small town of Rives, with a population of about 300, was overwhelmed. Videos showed rescue workers navigating through fast-moving floodwaters in red boats. Obion County Mayor Steve Carr declared a state of emergency, enforcing mandatory evacuations.
Similarly, West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey issued a state of emergency for over a dozen counties.
Kristi Noem, head of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees FEMA, confirmed ongoing communications with state governors. “While emergency management is best led by local authorities, we reinforced that DHS stands ready to take immediate action to offer resources and support,” she stated.
The same weather system has now moved north, bringing heavy snowfall to parts of Canada. Meanwhile, the National Weather Service (NWS) warns that arctic air could introduce record-breaking cold and dangerous wind chills to the central United States in the coming days.
