LEXINGTON, Ky. — Gov. Andy Beshear on Friday confirmed that the death toll surrounding the catastrophic floods in Eastern Kentucky now sits at 15.
“That number is going to grow, probably to more than double,” Beshear said. “We know some of the loss will include children, we may have even lost entire families.”
An exact location of those deaths is not immediately known, but there have been seven confirmed deaths in Knott County and one in Perry County. In Clay County, Brian Jackson, deputy director of Clay County Emergency Management said law enforcement agencies are responding to two “probable” drowning deaths, but those have not been confirmed.
The Mountain Eagle reported at least two people were dead in the Isom area of Letcher County.
Beshear said officials conducted approximately 50 air rescues and hundreds of water rescues of people stranded in the floods.
In Montgomery, Brittany Trejo said that her four young cousins, ranging in age from 1 to 8, were swept away from their parents’ grip in flooding Thursday.
Trejo said she was helping to search for two of the children Friday morning in the Knott County community of Montgomery and was at the funeral home when the other two were identified Thursday.
Kentucky State Police spokesman Shane Goodall confirmed a report of four missing children Thursday night but said he didn’t immediately have details.
Knott County Coroner Corey Watson would not comment on the four children Thursday night but confirmed that seven people had died in the flood in Knott County.
Trejo said that the home of Amber Smith and Riley Noble in the Montgomery community filled with water Thursday.
“They got on the roof and the entire underneath washed out with them and the children. They managed to get to a tree and ... held the children a few hours before a big tide came and wash them all away at the same time,” Trejo said.
“The mother and father was stranded in the tree for 8 hours before anyone got there to help,” said Trejo.
Amber Smith and Riley Noble, the mother and father, were found alive. The bodies of Riley Jr., 6, and Nevaeh Noble , 4, were recovered, said Trejo.
At daylight, a search commenced for Maddison Noble, 8, and Chance Noble, 1 1/2, she said.
According to data from the National Weather Service, the water level of the North Fork Kentucky River in Whitesburg reached 20.91 feet at 10 a.m. Thursday, which broke the previous record by over 6 feet. The old record stood since 1957.
The water level eclipsed 10 feet, which is the stage where flooding begins in low lying areas , between 5:15-5:30 a.m. Thursday.
The previous water level record of 14.7 feet was broken less than two hours later when the water level reached 14.89 feet. Water level records at the North Fork Kentucky River in Jackson were also broken early Friday morning.
The water level went above the previous record of 43.1 at 11:30 p.m. Thursday. The old record had stood from 1939.
With more rain in the forecast and a potential for extra flooding, evacuation orders for some Eastern Kentucky communities have been issued.
The Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet’s Division of Water officials recommended that homes and businesses in the floodplain of Panbowl Lake in Jackson be evacuated. Records indicate there are over 100 homes, 13 businesses, two churches, a school and a hospital that could be impacted by the flooding, per the KEEC.
Officials observed a muddy discharge at the Panbowl Lake dam, which kickstarted the recommendation to evacuate along with recent heavy rains. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet said Kentucky 15 at mile-marker 17.7 was blocked off at 9:30 p.m. Thursday as a precaution.
Flash flooding from heavy rainfall consumed Eastern Kentucky counties of Breathitt, Floyd, Perry, Knott, Leslie, Pike and Magoffin July 28, 2022, taking at least three lives, trapping others in homes and buildings, and sending thousands to shelters.By Ryan C. Hermens
“The numbers, I think, are going to be really hard to tell right now because some of the people they haven’t got to yet, and I’m sure some of the coroners haven’t been able to report them,” Goodall said.
It’s pretty much impossible to have an exact count at this point due to many missing people, Goodall said, but more deaths are expected once the floodwaters recede.
Police were still rescuing people with helicopters in places no one can get to, Goodall continued.
