More than two weeks after a severe weather outbreak followed by historic rainfall blew across the Ohio Valley region, several Kentucky counties are continuing to deal with floodwaters that have not receded.
“We still have issues because of the river levels and the lake levels rising,” said Lyon County Judge/Executive Jaime Green-Smith. “I have about nine to 10 roads that are still underwater.”
Smith said that at one point, the exit ramps from Interstate 24/69 to U.S. 62 were flooded, making it difficult for first responders to get across the county.
During his weekly press briefing Thursday, Gov. Andy Beshear reported that 175 state roadways remained closed due to high water, mudslides or rockslides. That’s down from more than 550 state routes closed at the peak of the flood, Beshear said.
Officials say one of their biggest concerns is getting drivers to heed warnings and not attempt to move or drive around road barriers.
“When they do that, it puts everybody in danger, it puts our first responders in danger,” Smith said. “We don’t close a road to inconvenience someone. We do it for safety.”
The Daviess County Sheriff’s Office posted a picture on its Facebook page of a road where water had receded, leaving behind a partially washed-out road and broken guardrail.
“This highlights not only the damage and magnitude of this historic flooding event but also the unseen dangers that are hidden beneath the flood water,” the Sheriff’s Office posted.
The storms and flooding have claimed the lives of seven Kentuckians, Beshear said.
The Commonwealth is awaiting word from President Trump on a requested Major Disaster Declaration. Kentucky’s application was submitted on April 11, with a request to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for Individual Assistance for 13 counties and Public Assistance and Direct Federal Assistance for 33 counties.
“The declaration is important because state agencies, local governments and Kentucky citizens have been greatly impacted by this event,” Beshear said.
He emphasized that many more counties will be added to the disaster request as the recovery process continues.
“I’ve already had conversations with FEMA’s leadership. They know this is going to be a very large endeavor where we have disaster recovery centers in dozens of counties,” Beshear added.
In Lyon County, Judge Smith said she’s had good communication with FEMA officials on the ground, state emergency management and fellow county officials.
“We all work together, and the judge executives will check on each other. Do you need anything? Is everything good? Can we help you with anything?” Smith said. “And that just means a lot. We look out for one another.”
Header photo: Lyon County continues to have standing water in many areas, and the flooding damaged or washed out some roads and culverts.
