As rain started to soak eastern Kentucky this weekend, Mimi Pickering looked anxiously at her window in Whitesburg town, the North Fork Kentucky River kept rising, rising and rise.
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 Sunday, a clearer picture began to show damage from the storm: at least nine people died across the state, and the death toll is expected to rise. Nearly 40,000 people have no electricity. More than 1,000 rescues. Roads on at least 300 State and Federal Roads are closed. Two wastewater systems were shut down, including one underwater system.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said in a Sunday press 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.
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.
Mr. Beshear said this time that the damage was different because no particular area was destroyed, such as the flood that destroyed eastern Kentucky in 2022 – rather that disasters spread more evenly, rather than as 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.
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 not good, we can do nothing,” 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're stuck,” she said. “They can't leave. They don't have the power. It's a big terrible situation for many of my friends and neighbors. People are checking each other, but even then you're still Want to help someone, but you can't contact them.”
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 contributes to the report
