Jackson (United States), 02/08/2022 (AFP) — The death toll from devastating floods in the U.S. state of Kentucky has risen to 37 as rains continue, according to the governor of the southeastern United States.
“We ended the day with heartbreaking news from Eastern Kentucky. We can confirm the death toll has risen to 37 with many still missing,” Gov. Andy Bashir tweeted, adding, “Praying for their families.” Bashir said the death toll was likely to rise as rescuers got to the affected areas and found more bodies.
Search operations were hampered on Monday by heavy rain, and more thunderstorms are expected tonight. Earlier, the governor told reporters, “As difficult as the situation is for the residents of this area, they are now watching the rain.”
The National Weather Service declared flooding in much of eastern Kentucky until Tuesday morning and warned of the risk of thunderstorms tonight. “Heavy rain is likely, which could lead to flooding and severe thunderstorms,” the National Meteorological Center tweeted. The floods hit an area of the state that was primarily suffering from poverty due to the decline in the coal sector, which was the backbone of its economy. Rescue work is complicated by poor cellular communications.
The governor warned Sunday that the bodies could be found “within weeks, many of them shoveled several meters.” U.S. President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency in Kentucky due to flooding, allowing federal aid to be allocated to supplement local state rescue efforts.
For its part, the Kingdom’s embassy in the United States of America warned citizens about floods in Kentucky. The embassy urged citizens to follow the safety instructions and instructions issued by local authorities, and to contact the embassy in case of emergency using the numbers posted on its website.