Valarie Honeycutt Spears, Christopher Leach
Lexington Herald-Leader (TNS)
Several people in Southeastern Kentucky reported being trapped inside their homes early Thursday by rising waters as “catastrophic” flash flooding hit the region.
“We are dealing with a catastrophic and historic flash flooding situation in parts of the region,” WYMT reporter Steve Hensley said on Twitter. “I’ve never seen water come off the hill behind my house like this. There are people trapped and homes and roads flooded. A flash flood emergency continues for several counties. I pray nobody has lost their life. I’m afraid the devastation we will see after daybreak will be significant.”
There is flooding reported in several southeastern Kentucky counties, including Breathtitt, Floyd, Perry, Knott, Leslie, Pike and Magoffin.
The Kentucky Mesonet system, which has weather-monitoring stations statewide, said that as of 7 a.m. Thursday, 3.37 inches of rain had been recorded at a location in Breathitt County, with 2.7 inches in Pike County and 2.59 inches in Letcher County.
The Breathitt County courthouse has opened its doors to those in need of temporary housing, according to Breathitt County Emergency Management. Several roads in the county are underwater and are impassable, per Breathitt County EMS.
Breathitt County Sheriff John Hollan shared a video on Facebook of flooding on Highway 30 near the Breathitt and Magoffin County line.
Floyd County Sheriff John Hunt reported that route 122 is flooded in several places.
Several fire departments in Perry County reported trying to rescue people from their homes. B.J. Duff in Perry County shared photos of a private driveway off Highway 28 being blocked by debris.
Rowan County teacher Allison Slone said in a social media post, “Please pray for the people of eastern Kentucky. Our friends and family are losing everything. I’ve never seen flooding like I’m seeing in pictures. Complete devastation in some areas. People trapped. Homes flooding that have never flooded. People and homes being washed away.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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