In the midst of forest fires in California and extreme heat waves nationwide, the most recent concern centers on devastating floods in the South, specifically the severe flash floods and storms currently affecting Kentucky. While the heavy rains began last week, this morning Governor Andy Beshear shared the heartbreaking news that now there are 30 documented fatalities due to the flooding, with hundreds of individuals currently missing and unaccounted for. Beshear grew emotional as he spoke of the six children that were killed in the flooding, with four of them being siblings all under the age of 10 who were seeking shelter on top of their roof of their home before the water surged through their community.
While recovery crews continue their searches for those who are missing, it has proved difficult to pin down an exact number of citizens who have disappeared and could potentially be dead based on the fact that these flash floods are still raging through eastern Kentucky and continue to grow worse as rains continue. While states in the Eastern and Southern US are typically more prone to flooding, this unprecedented Kentucky flood is the worst the state has seen for many decades, with hundreds of buildings destroyed in a few days and 12,000 residents still stuck without power. Governor Beshear is facing the difficult task of prioritizing Kentuckians who are still able to flee their counties safely, while also focusing on those who have recently passed away or have not been found. Even once the flooding begins to subside, Kentucky’s infrastructure will take years to fully recover, with Beshear saying “The damage to roads, bridges and other infrastructure will take millions to repair.”
Unfortunately, some people who are not in immediate danger have taken advantage of those affected by the floods by looting abandoned houses and businesses, topping off the devastating loss of homes and belongings and forcing Breathitt County to issue a curfew from 10 pm to 6 am. President Joe Biden has allocated federal funds to aid Kentucky residents at the moment, with at-risk communities fleeing to state parks to find refuge from the storm. The culprit for the increased amount of natural disasters happening in the US this year alone leads back to global warming, with scientists urging Americans to do all that they can to combat climate change for the sake of their own lives.
