As of last evening, the governor of Kentucky added several more counties to the emergency declaration so they will be eligible for FEMA assistance. The total number of counties eligible for FEMA assistance is now up to twelve. This means there are at least twelve counties that received substantial flood damage.
As of this morning, the death toll is officially at thirty-seven. A few people are still confirmed missing, but for the most part search and rescue operations are over. There are isolated areas where they are still searching for a few confirmed missing people.
We are now entering flood cleanup mode in full swing and there is a big need for a lot of hands and equipment to help. As of right now, we are only operating in a small area of the flooded area, and we have plenty of opportunities to help people right where we are.
It will take a long time to rebuild and repair the damaged bridges and roads. More and more, power is being restored to the affected areas. The water system is taking a lot of work to restore, but they are working on multiple temporary options to get public water available as quickly as possible. There are also a lot of public shower and laundry trailers being set up for people to use.
It will most likely be a couple year recovery process for a lot of people that lost a lot in one night. Pray for the people who lost their homes, possessions and loved ones in the flood.
Eastern KY is also under another flash flood watch this weekend.
