At least four people dead in Kentucky flash floods, emergency declared
· UPIJune 27 (UPI) -- Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear declared an emergency in the state on Saturday because of widespread floods that have claimed at least four lives.
The declaration came after two waves of severe storms on Friday that caused flash floods, high winds and a tornado -- and ahead of another round of heavy rain expected overnight on Saturday.
Beshear started sounding the alarm ahead of a few days of heavy rain early Friday, warning residents that areas around the Ohio River were likely to flood over the weekend.
In announcing the declaration of emergency, Beshear said heavy rain was expected to continue in the state through at least 11 p.m. EDT on Saturday, with the expectation for dangerous road conditions, limited visibility and up to seven inches of rain in some areas.
Local states of emergency were also declared in five Kentucky counties -- Bullitt, Madison, Meade, Mercer and Spencer -- the governor's office said.
"This is a serious flooding event, where teams have already had to conduct multiple water rescues from vehicles and homes across the commonwealth," Beshear said in a press release.
"As more heavy rain continues through late night, we need folks to remain alert and to avoid driving," Beshear said. "We've sadly already received reports of fatalities that we are working to confirm, and we need everyone to stay alert and do what's needed to keep each other safe."
Madison County Coroner Jimmy Cornelison confirmed that three people between the ages of 40 and 59 had died in the county in incidents linked to the storms, with one killed in a car accident and a couple that were killed in their flooded basement, NBC News reported.
Jackson County Executive Paul Hays confirmed to LEX-18 that a person there had also died, in their case because of a car accident linked to the storms.
"We had multiple rescues of people that were in cars on the roadways that had to be rescued, and we've had eight or nine rescues from homes that were surrounded by water and flooded," Hays said.
Hays said the county had received about six inches of rain, as well as seen property damage and debris strewn across roads, which in some cases had displaced residents from their homes.
The National Weather Service in Kentucky forecast multiple rounds of thunderstorms and heavy rain overnight on Saturday, which are likely to result in more flash flooding, and has left a flood watch in effect for entire state until Sunday morning.
Although forecasters predicted total rainfall of about 1 to 3 inches, they said that 3 to 5 inches, or more, is possible in some areas.
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