ANKARA
At least 10 people have died, and hundreds of thousands are without power as severe storms and flash floods wreaked havoc across the eastern US, with Kentucky suffering some of the worst damage in recent memory, press reports said on Sunday.
“This is one of the most serious weather events we’ve dealt with in at least a decade,” said Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, after confirming that nine of the fatalities were in Kentucky, including a child, and one in Georgia.
The storm unleashed heavy rainfall, triggering flash floods, mudslides, and road closures.
Emergency crews carried out more than 1,000 rescues in Kentucky alone, with 19 swift-water teams deployed across multiple counties.
Noting that all 120 counties in the state have been impacted, Beshear said two nursing homes had to be evacuated, including one where 100 patients were relocated by state police.
Among the victims were a mother and her 7-year-old child, who were swept away by floodwaters in Hart County, Kentucky, while trying to cross a flooded roadway near Interstate 65, officials said.
The flooding has left nearly 40,000 Kentucky residents without power, 9,800 without water, and more than 26,000 under boil-water advisories.
In addition to flooding, parts of the state saw snowfall and icy conditions, making travel even more hazardous.
In response to the unfolding disaster, Beshear declared a state of emergency and requested federal assistance.
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Other states across the South and Northeast also reported significant damage.
In Tennessee, residents of a nursing home in Macon County were evacuated as waters rose dangerously close to the facility.
Tornadoes touched down in Mississippi and Alabama, damaging homes and infrastructure.
The severe weather brought heavy snowfall to the Northeast, with Burlington, Vermont, receiving 8.5 inches of snow, while Boston recorded 5.4 inches.
Wind gusts reached up to 71 mph (114kph) in Atlanta, where a person died after a tree fell on their home.
Virginia and West Virginia also faced significant flooding, prompting local officials to issue evacuation orders.
“Multiple areas of the town are currently experiencing flooding, with the river expected to rise even higher,” the Richlands Police Department in Virginia said in a statement, urging residents to leave immediately.
The storms left more than 400,000 utility customers without power across multiple states, including Alabama, Georgia, Virginia, and North Carolina.
Forecasters warned of continued flood risks, with swollen rivers likely to remain above critical levels in the coming days.
The National Weather Service (NWS) extended a flash flood emergency for several counties in West Virginia and southwestern Virginia, calling the situation “extremely dangerous and life-threatening.”
As search-and-rescue efforts continued, officials urged residents to remain vigilant.
“Stay home if you can,” the Simpson County Office of Emergency Management in Kentucky advised. Floodwaters can rise quickly, and driving through them can be fatal, it warned.
With Arctic air expected to plunge temperatures across the Plains in the coming week, authorities are preparing for further challenges.
Wind chills are forecast to drop as low as minus 50 degrees in parts of North Dakota and Minnesota.
“We’re dealing with a complex, multi-state event,” said Bob Oravec, a senior meteorologist at the NWS. “The effects will continue for a while, a lot of swollen streams and a lot of flooding going on.”
