There is no relief in sight: the US weather agency expects further heavy rain in the US state of Kentucky.
After the severe flooding in the US state of Kentucky, the death toll has risen to at least 26. Gov. Andy Beshear said on the TV station on Sunday NBCthat the rescue workers “will find bodies for weeks to come”. The US weather agency National Weather Service warned of further flooding in large parts of the USA.
Responders are going from house to house as weather conditions continue to deteriorate, Beshear said. It was “one of the most devastating, deadliest floods in our history,” he told NBC. And it keeps raining. Some areas of the flooded area were still cut off from the outside world over the weekend – due to flooded roads, washed-out bridges and disrupted cell phone reception.
US President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency because of the flooding. This allows the USfederal government support the state of Kentucky in post-flood relief and reconstruction. 13 counties in the east of the state had been flooded. Many roads and bridges have been damaged or destroyed in the mountainous region, which is riddled with poverty due to the decline of the coal industry.
20 centimeters of rain within 24 hours
The state in the eastern United States had been hit by heavy rains. In some areas, around 20 centimeters of rain fell within 24 hours. Streets turned into rivers, numerous houses were submerged by the spongy brown waters.
In the USA, but also in many other countries, more extreme weather phenomena are currently being observed. According to experts, this accumulation is a consequence of man-made climate change.
The National Weather Service warned on Sunday in the short message service Twitter of “increasing and spreading risk of flooding” due to heavy rain and storms in large parts of the United States – including in central and eastern Kentucky.
(APA/DPA)