Governor Andy Beshear has declared a state of emergency for areas of eastern Kentucky devastated by flash flooding Thursday morning.
At least six counties had already declared local states of emergency: Breathitt, Clay, Floyd, Letcher, Owsley and Pike.
Governor Andy Beshear says the number of fatalities in those counties is expected to be in the double-digits.
Governor Beshear mobilized the Kentucky National Guard, which has 15-20 high-axle vehicles that can pass through the flooded roads to assist with delivering supplies and rescuing Kentuckians. They are also staging three helicopters and West Virginia is providing two additional helicopters.
Millions of dollars were raised for victims of the western Kentucky tornadoes in December and Governor Beshear says you will be able to give to the flooding victims in eastern Kentucky who lost everything at teamekyfloodrelieffund.ky.gov.
More than 23,000 households lost power, and the state is working with multiple cell service providers to restore service. Some of those locations could be without service for some time, as they are difficult or impossible to reach until the water recedes.