37 people killed in Kentucky due to floods

By: Austin Fang

Disastrous floods have hit the state of Kentucky, leaving many citizens in need of help and support. Dozens of people have been killed in flash floods, with thousands missing. All this destruction begs the question: “When will this catastrophe end?”

According to the Governor of Kentucky, the death toll of the flash floods is 37 people. Also, thousands are missing, have no access to food and water, or have no access to electricity. The devastation of this flood has left Kentucky in shambles: roads destroyed, bridges dilapidated, and neighborhoods flooded.

All the loss and destruction have left citizens and government in shock.

"It is absolutely devastating out there. It's going to take years to rebuild. People left with absolutely nothing. Homes that we don't know where they are, are just entirely gone. And we continue to find bodies of our brothers and sisters that we have lost," said Andy Beshear, the governor of Kentucky.

US president Joe Biden proclaimed the catastrophe as a federal disaster and donated money to the cities in need. 8-10½ inches of rain fell, which is equivalent to two months' amount of rainfall in just 48 hours.

“The pure catastrophic loss is hard to put into words,” said Dan Mosley, a citizen in Harlan County and witness of the floods. “I’ve just never seen anything like this in my career or even my life.”

Many survivors of the flood have lost family and friends due to drowning, being buried under the destruction, or heart attacks.

Chris Campbell, a witness of the flooding, had his 90-year-old grandma’s house torn apart. She had lived in the house for nearly 7 decades starting from 1958. Campbell also had many people he knew personally fall in the floods, for example, a 67-year-old woman had a heart attack while trying to escape the devastating waters

“We are ending the day with more heartbreaking news out of Eastern Kentucky. We can confirm the death toll has now risen to 37, with so many more still missing. Let us pray for these families and come together to wrap our arms around our fellow Kentuckians,” tweeted Beshear after a local flash flood wiped Kentucky.

Articles: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/30/us/kentucky-flooding-natural-disasters.html https://www.npr.org/2022/08/02/1115152323/kentucky-flooding https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/01/us/kentucky-flooding-rain.html