The death toll from the devastating floods in Kentucky, United States, has risen to 25 and is expected to rise further, the governor of this American state said on Saturday July 30.
“We have some bad news to report today from Eastern Kentucky where we are still in the search and rescue phase,” Andy Beshear tweeted.
"The death toll has risen to 25 dead and this number will probably increase," added the elected Democrat.
"There are still a lot of people we have no news of and in this area, it will be difficult to give a precise figure of the missing," he said on CNN.
Torrential rains fell on the east of this rural state overnight from Wednesday to Thursday, turning some roads into rivers and forcing residents to take refuge on the roof of their homes while waiting for help.
The rains continued on Friday but the weather offered rescuers some welcome respite on Saturday.
Return of the rain on Sunday
“A cold front is moving south and the weather is expected to remain relatively dry today,” local national weather services said, warning that “dry weather is expected to end Sunday afternoon.”
"Our problem will be Sunday," Andy Beshear confirmed to CNN.
“It will start to rain again and although we think it will not be historic rains, it will be hard”.
President Joe Biden declared a state of "natural disaster" and released federal reinforcements to support areas affected by "storm, flooding, landslides and mudslides".
With human-induced global warming, the atmosphere contains more water vapour, increasing the chances of heavy rainfall events, scientists say.
These rains, associated with other factors linked in particular to land development, promote flooding.
>> Weather: global warming and the mechanics of the extreme
Some areas of Kentucky received some 20 centimeters of rain in 24 hours and, in places, the waters of the rivers suddenly rose several meters before emerging from their beds.
In the Jackson area, some roads have become mighty streams, with abandoned cars here and there.
In December, several dozen violent tornadoes ravaged five states in the central United States, mainly western Kentucky, and killed at least 79 people.
Paradoxically, these tornadoes helped Kentucky better prepare for natural disasters, the governor noted.
"We learned a lot of lessons in western Kentucky with those devastating tornadoes seven months ago," he said.
“We are providing as much assistance as we can and we are providing it quickly from across the state.”
With AFP
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