Gov. Andy Beshear orders flags at half-staff to honor Kentucky flood victims
Updated: 3:42 PM EDT Aug 1, 2022
All right. Good morning everybody um, here this morning with an update on devastating flooding in eastern Kentucky. Certainly the deadliest and the most devastating of my lifetime still in the emergency response mode, still doing search and rescue. And as we’ll talk here in *** minute, whether today may complicate that 1st. I wanted to recap yesterday where I was on the ground in person in three of the hardest hit communities, important to see it firsthand to hear about the specific needs and to react in real time. In fact, we were able to connect one healthcare organization that showed up at one of our facilities with needs with another that is going to help them meet those needs. So we started out at the Perry County Emergency Operations Center in their courthouse, an opportunity to meet with their emergency director. Director Stacey as well as the county judge, the mayor, uh, and *** number of the other local officials that are responding. Um, uh, this is right outside of their courthouse. That’s the mayor of hazard on the far left. *** lot of people that are working day and night and greatly appreciate their leadership. Then we were able to go over to an emergency shelter at West Perry Elementary in Hazzard. You want something in the midst of the darkness That is an incredible ray of light. Virtually every person I think in this county who didn’t have their house wiped out and some who did. We’re here helping an amazing enormous operation. There had to be 100 plus volunteers filling people’s cars up as they came through, giving him hot food to eat. Uh, man baby formula to make sure that everybody had what they needed. This is the superintendent who’s opened up the school and the black hat, who was I mean working his hardest to make sure that everybody is taking care of *** enormous thanks to the educators and everybody else who came in to do this. You know when Mr Rogers says, look for the helpers, these are the helpers and the now that we can reach many of these areas, the donations, the food, the water are flooding in. I mean this school is filled with supplies that are going uh, to help people. They had one whole area of intake just for supplies and you know what they had, they had personalized helpers to go around with each family coming in just to help them navigate in the midst of chaos. Got to talk to some of the families here and the other places too. Um, I don’t have anything. I mean the clothes on their back, but happy to be alive. I’m grateful for the folks that are helping out right before I left, I talked to the principal of one of the elementary schools who was um, away, was able to get to his house and had to pull his kids out of *** second story window. Um, again, they are feel blessed to be here. They have family members picking up supplies from here Perry County. Hit hard. Then we went down to not county. Um, It is really hard to describe the devastation there First we went to the Knott County Sportsplex where we had *** briefing with local officials, volunteers, um, and their families. This is just outside again, people driving up and getting supplies, but you go inside and mountains of clothes and I gotta tell you it’s tough to watch people sorting through clothes trying to find the size that fits their family members when they have absolutely um, nothing. But, but just looking at at folks taking down people’s information now they’ve heard that fema is gonna offer individual assistance to make sure that nobody gets left behind. This is the judge right next to me. The mayor is in the, I guess that’s kind of salmon colored church. Um You got the state senator and the magistrate there here as well. Fish and wildlife got *** chance to thank them for all those rescues and they’re the ones finding most of the bodies. So making sure they’re taking care of themselves. And then we drove down one of the worst hit areas um with the judge and it um, no wait, this is *** church on the way out that set up yet another um, *** place where people can get help. The Fire Department’s grilling out right there next to it. There are so many supplies inside. They are accepting everything but close they want to make sure that they are getting water, formula diapers, uh, all the rest uh, this is faith in action. Um, and there was *** boy Scout troop um, from Winchester that had just shown up that they didn’t know was coming that was helping out inside. But then we went down, then we went down one of the hardest hit areas. It’s really hard to describe. I don’t know if we have *** couple of photos of it, but I mean houses swept away for miles. Uh, they don’t know where some parts of people’s houses are. Schools both in Perry and in Knott County just ruined. And it’s going to take millions of dollars to ultimately repair. Um, even drove by and got out of the site where those four kids were swept away. Uh, I’ve got to do *** lot of things that are hard as governor and that was certainly one of the hardest. And then we headed up to uh Letcher County where lecture was one of the hardest areas to get to. Um, and and one of the areas where because people couldn’t get to them, uh, they had set up their own emergency operation again, trying to help people out *** room full of educators and volunteers, helping other people. Um, got to talk in their Emergency Operations center. Harlan has set up uh, their road crews, their emergency operations team there. Judge was there too, helping out. And then last thing we were on the ground. Oh geez! Um, virtually all the day uh was *** visit in Whitesburg to *** neighborhood with people I know um who lost everything and it had to strip their entire house um and put it on the front as you look down in this neighborhood, everything is ruined, every single thing inside the house and they’re pulling it all out in front because of the mold. Um She, this woman standing next to me was in somebody else’s house helping when we showed up and she walked me down to hers and there’s nothing left. She got her daughter out, her daughter is younger than mine but all the same toys just gone. Um Those are her, why I mean just wiped out the mayor in the back in the blue there again helping to this whole neighborhood had to be rescued and it was only them. Alright, nobody else could get there. So it was them and kayaks, there was *** kid who um uh the water got so high I could use *** jet ski that they had that was driving around up on top of people’s porches to get them out. But let me, let me tell you, these are incredibly strong people and they were all helping each other out all up and down the street even as all their possessions. We’re gone. So another couple of tough updates this morning first um We can now confirm that we have lost 30 Kentucky ins to this flooding And that’s going to grow. We know about additional bodies beyond these 30 confirmed. They break down as seven in breath it two in clay 16 and not two. And lecture and three in Perry if things weren’t hard enough on the people of this region there they’re getting rain right now. Um Right now though it’s ending real soon Floyd McGuffin not and pike have been under *** flash flood warning that is ending soon. But there is severe storm potential today and all of the impacted areas. That is just not right. Most risk is on the northernmost part of the impacted area but it is very unstable. Um Weather and and it could be even up to an inch justice concerning high wind. You think about how saturated the ground has been. It could knock over polls that could knock over trees. Uh So people need to be careful and it’s even gonna get tougher when the rain stops it’s gonna get really hot and and we need to make sure people are ultimately stable by that point in time. All right. That’s ***, Just *** few minutes ago 12,492 people without power. This has been *** herculean effort by uh those working to restore power. Remember that at one point at the O. c. was above 24,000 I actually think we got close to 30,000. The the counties with over 1000 people um Without power or more. Perry lecture pike breath it and not. And I know they are working really, really fast Yesterday. There was *** report out in *** roll up of missing persons. That is not an accurate number. If need be. I’ll go into the reasons but that was one K. S. P. Post and that was based on calls in. There are hundreds of unaccounted for people minimum and we just, we just don’t have *** firm grasp on that. I wish we did. There are *** lot of reasons why it’s nearly impossible, but I want to make sure that we’re not, we’re not given either false hope or faulty information. We have *** total of 100 and 50 displaced folks housed in our state parks at the moment. And there are at least that amount in red cross shelters, jenny Wiley Resort park has *** total of 100 and 41 people occupying rooms, cottages and the campground rooms are fully booked. But the campground space is available. Um Four people are staying in one camper at the Painesville State Park campground, Pine Mountain still has at least five rooms. We are working so hard to get buckhorn State Park open. That is in Perry County. That’s in one of the hardest hit areas. We do have power. We’re working on water right now and I’ve told him it’s gotta happen today. Um If not it’s dry and if there’s power we may have to move people there without running water. It absolutely has to happen today. And I don’t mean that there’s any slide on transportation or or or or Kentucky power or anybody else working there were just reaching that point where people need uh *** bed. They’re going to be 36 rooms and five cottages that are there and we get that open that can help *** lot of people. And starting this week, Car Creek State Park campground will be available to hold travel trailers for temporary housing. Alright we’re moving travel trailers fast. We got about 100 of them that were left over from the tornadoes in western Kentucky. We got the same team that hooked them up in western Kentucky from transportation that’s traveled east. We are hauling these things and we’re hooking them up as fast as we can. We got 25 travel trailers that are being hooked up at Jenny Wiley State Park. That’s going to increase the number of people that we can house there. And between two areas I think we have 25 that were hooking up in not county which needs. And there’s an ***. T. V. Park there. And there’s another site as well. Others are being delivered to hard hit areas. Um The E. E. O. C. And transportation are working directly with the county E. M. Directors and leaders to identify places uh To to get them. This is much faster then we had this option after the tornadoes. There are 14 emergency shelters active there assisting 483 people. There’s one in Clay Floyd, not pike. There are three in lecture, Wolf and Perry. Uh, those are on our website governor dot ky dot gov slash disaster hyphen response slash flood hyphen resources fema. So uh, thankful to president biden for what I think is the fastest granting of individual assistance. At least we’ve seen in Kentucky those fast after the tornadoes to its initially for five counties. Those are the ones that fema could get to and see and, and chronicle or uh, the, the devastation more are going to qualify And today I sent or am sending *** letter asking for the other impacted counties to be added. Listen, what happened in the tornadoes where *** couple of counties got there first and then the other counties were added. This is *** normal process. They’re going through what they have to under the statutes and the regs and congressional oversight. So I’ve talked to leaders and pike and then Floyd fully expect with the damage they’ve had for those counties to be added. Just keep working with us. Let’s keep making sure we document the damage this thing is going to expand. So, but for those five counties, renters and homeowners in breath that clay not lecture and Perry who were affected by severe storms, flooding and mudslides that began July 26 can already begin applying for individual disaster assistance fema folks are on the way in these counties. What we’ve asked for our people on the ground with the tablets like we saw in the west that can go door to door and we can let people know what Holler neighborhood they’re going to be in in *** given time. We also want *** set location where people can come in and we’re working on getting all the services you need driver’s license, replacement of the rest. I’m telling our cabinet secretaries we want them all in one place so that people, I mean they don’t need any more of *** hassle and we want them as close to places that people can get food and other supplies as as we can. I certainly think that it can be complicated uh to go through this process. So that’s real helpful. But people can also go ahead and get online at disaster assistance dot gov or call 1 806 21 fema. That’s 1 806 213362. When applying for assistance, you need *** current phone number where you can be contacted your address at the time of the disaster and where you’re now staying your social security number, *** general list of damage and losses banking information. If you choose direct deposit. If ensured the policy number or agent or the company’s name, remember. It’s *** more complicated process than I wish it was. Um don’t give up. We want to make sure everybody who can qualify does qualify. Alright to go over. Um the the disaster declarations, I issued *** state of emergency. Um The president has declared *** disaster declaration. 14 counties and three cities have declared *** state of emergency about some good news. Cell service is getting back up absolutely critical in response to *** disaster, helps people find their loved ones. Uh it will lead to more good news. Letcher County cell cellular infrastructure is being reported as restored. That is huge. And Appalachian wireless, which there’s so much of this region is reporting that it is completely restored. Those are really good things like we said, very difficult to get *** accurate count of those that are missing. But the way to do it is to report *** loved one that you cannot find to the Kentucky State police, we have multiple posts. Each post works *** certain number of counties. We need you if your loved one is in any one of these counties and you can’t find them or your friend or the people that you know that you’ve tried to reach out to, we need you to call the numbers that are on the screen right now and give as much information on them as you can. This is our best opportunity right now to go out there and find people we believe are missing now restored. Cell service is gonna help *** lot. I was able to locate somebody I know the other day that I’d seen at least in *** and *** news report had been missing. So it was good to know that that person is okay. So again, uh, if you’re in Wolf for morgan County, you’ve got one set number six oh 67844127. That is if your loved one are in those counties, Owsley, Jackson and lee 8596 to 3 to 404. So Kentucky state Police is working real hard on this. Um, uh, contact them. There’s also an email if you can’t get through the phone lines, the emails on the screen. K. S P P U B *** F F at ky dot gov. If you do that route, you need the to include the information that’s on the screen here. We’ll put this on social media as well. And we just ask um those in the media to continue to put out those K. S. P. Numbers and the email address still *** lot of scared people out there. So haven’t, haven’t, I’ve been through more disasters than we ever thought was possible. When cell service gets back up. We do see *** whole lot of people finding people they love and care about. So looking forward to hearing those stories today. Transportation cabinets, Pikeville Highway district, all state routes are passable. That includes 13 disaster counties Floyd johnson, not lecture martin pike in the will say especially in Knott County. Some of the county roads that were on are eaten up. What water can do to *** road is incredible and tough to believe there is *** huge amount of infrastructure that is going to have to be rebuilt. And the Jackson Highway District, that’s breath at McGuffin, Owsley, Perry and Wolf Counties, repairs to roadways, actual repairs are gonna begin today. We’re not waiting, we’re getting after it. four state routes in Perry Remain closed or partially closed. There are detours. The lone exception is Kentucky Route 1146, which runs through the Lost Creek area. 13 crews from highway districts at Bowling Green, Somerset Fleming’s Burg Manchester are in Brevard County to assist in clearing the roads. This is all hands on deck Bridge inspections are continuing as inspectors can gain access so far. 627 bridges in the counties have been inspected, but these are only the public bridges. *** lot of these people live on the other side of what we might call *** creek or or something even larger and those are private bridges and they’re gone and it’s going to present an enormous challenge in rebuilding and we don’t have the answer to that challenge yet, but it’s something that we are all talking about. Inspectors have found 21 bridges with issues that range from being impassable because of debris is houses on top of them. Um and some are totally washed out. We got washed out bridges and Owsley breath at Floyd pike, Perry, Leslie, Letcher Knott and Clay counties. They include county bridges as well as state bridges. Um Transportation National Guard are taking *** ton of supplies as our folks all over the nation, sending supplies. Just remember we don’t need your old clothes, we need water, we need food, we need cleaning supplies. Uh think about the normal household goods that people have lost, but those are the things that we need materials being delivered right now. Cots M. R. E. S. Travel trailers also forklifts for warehouse and distribution Water outages. 25,325 service connections without water. 44119 under *** boiled water advisory 22 water systems under limited operations due to damage and power outages. All systems are actively making water filling storage tanks and pushing out water. Big focus now has to be on identifying leaks and infrastructure has just totally been wiped away. There are some areas we’re not gonna be able to get water to probably four months wastewater 17 wastewater systems under limited operations to wastewater plants experiencing bypasses, Fleming neon, that one’s bad And we’ll write utilities as well. 11 systems are experiencing discharges from portions of their system. Alright Kentucky Office of unemployment uh insurance is working to establish *** disaster unemployment assistance program that helps people in the short term they’re working with the Federal partners to provide disaster unemployment system as quickly as possible to eligible Kentucky ins in the five counties that have been cleared for individual assistance. Um The agency still has steps to take before it can begin administering that program. But they’re working with the feds to get it up online as quickly as possible and then we will be dispatching staff again, hopefully in one location actually gonna tell the cabinet secretaries today, it’s all going to be in one location to make sure that again, people don’t have to go through any more than they have. Red Cross # 1 800 Red Cross 1 807 332767. *** couple of legal steps we’ve taken here at the state level. Our state of Emergency Price Gouging prohibition. Heard about one potential example of price gouging yesterday asked them to call the Attorney General’s Office which has the statutory uh power to take action pharmaceuticals. We we signed an eo that gives pharmacies the authority to do emergency refills and to temporarily operate pharmacies in locations um that they otherwise couldn’t talk to *** pharmacist in uh Lecture County uh in that neighborhood who had I mean *** harrowing escape. They were pulled out on that jet ski that is still going to work uh to fill prescriptions because think about what people need right now whether it’s their dialysis or or others insulin. Um And they’re and they don’t have, they didn’t have power, They don’t have internet there, filling things out, but they’re there to help their people. We’ve also waived weight limit and our limits for trucks coming in, bringing supplies. We’ve suspended the UI work search and seven day waiting period requirements so people can get help early out of state electricians, licenses and 14 day grace period for electric inspections. Let’s get house is up and running backs working. We created the team Eastern Kentucky Flood Relief Fund and I’m now working to waive fees on replacing driver’s license and permits and fees for replacing car registrations and titles. People are gonna have to get all of that. Again, Donations to the team Kentucky Flood really fund. This is *** team eastern Kentucky Fund. It’s the only fund I know of that’s going to be fully transparent subject to open records under legislative oversight and has pledged 200% of the funds to help these families with no administrative costs. 12,035 donations. *** little over $1.5 million. All right. *** couple of things that we’re going to do the show compassion to honor those that are lost and to recognize the struggle that people are going through. First. I’m directing all flags at all. State office buildings being lowered to half staff for one week in honor of the Kentucky ins who are lost or who have been impacted by the flooding events in Eastern Kentucky flags at state office buildings should be lowered to half staff beginning at sunrise Tomorrow Tuesday August two and remains so until Sundown on Monday August eight I encourage businesses, individuals and organizations throughout Kentucky to do the same. Let’s make sure we’re recognizing the loss that our people have been through and the other, it’s bringing back *** way that we showed compassion to those suffering during Covid. So I’ll be lighting the capitol dome to the extent you can see it through the repairs and certainly the mansion green, the color of compassion, just like we didn’t Covid, but this time to show compassion for those lost during this devastating flood and for those who are cleaning up. So for everybody who still has those lights, I asked you to put them up for the people of Kentucky that have been through something absolutely indescribable. Let them know that you’re thinking about them, you’re praying for him and maybe that family that’s in your area with their relatives that’s hurting, sees your light out there and knows that people care. Finally um Brittany and I are canceling our official trip to Israel. Well that is *** bucket list type of thing cannot be overseas while the people of Eastern Kentucky are suffering and we’re still going to be in *** critical stage over the coming weeks. I promised people yesterday I was gonna be there for them, you know today, tomorrow in the coming weeks. And I’m I’m going to keep that promise. In fact today. Um, I’m gonna be continuing to keep *** promise to the people of western Kentucky. First checking in on the city of Marion which hadn’t had enough rain and look at what, look at what’s happened um in the, in the state. But making sure that we are making progress on solving their water crisis and being Mayfield, seven months, seven months of keeping promises and we’re going to continue to keep promises to the people of that area. I hope that is *** testament to the people of eastern Kentucky about what we’re going to do. To stand with. You. Gonna be in contact with the emergency operations center all day. Going to receive an in person briefing when I get back from the west, we will be back in eastern Kentucky. Uh, this week we aren’t going anywhere. We’re gonna repair every life, every structure, every town.
Gov. Andy Beshear orders flags at half-staff to honor Kentucky flood victims
Updated: 3:42 PM EDT Aug 1, 2022
Residents in eastern Kentucky are still dealing with the fallout from last week’s devastating floods. On Monday, Gov. Andy Beshear said at least 35 people have died, including four children. Hundreds are expected to lose their homes. “There are hundreds of unaccounted for people, minimum, we just don’t have a firm grasp on that I wish we did,” Beshear said Monday.The governor has called the flooding one of the worst, most devastating flooding events in Kentucky’s history.Beshear ordered flags at all state office buildings be lowered to half-staff from Tuesday, Aug. 2 through Monday, Aug. 8 in honor of Kentuckians lost to or impacted by the historic flooding. The governor also asked residents to light their homes and businesses in green, the color of compassion in honor of the flood victims. “Let’s pull out those green lights again and let the people of Eastern Kentucky know we love them,” Gov. Beshear said during his press conference.Deaths by county are as follows:Breathitt County: 7 Clay County: 2 Knott County: 16, including 4 children Letcher County: 2 Perry County: 3During Monday’s press conference, Beshear said at least 1,432 Kentuckians have been rescued by first responders from Kentucky, West Virginia and Tennessee.
FRANKFORT, Ky. —
Residents in eastern Kentucky are still dealing with the fallout from last week’s devastating floods.
“There are hundreds of unaccounted for people, minimum, we just don’t have a firm grasp on that I wish we did,” Beshear said Monday.
The governor has called the flooding one of the worst, most devastating flooding events in Kentucky’s history.
Beshear ordered flags at all state office buildings be lowered to half-staff from Tuesday, Aug. 2 through Monday, Aug. 8 in honor of Kentuckians lost to or impacted by the historic flooding.
The governor also asked residents to light their homes and businesses in green, the color of compassion in honor of the flood victims.
“Let’s pull out those green lights again and let the people of Eastern Kentucky know we love them,” Gov. Beshear said during his press conference.
Deaths by county are as follows:
Breathitt County: 7
Clay County: 2
Knott County: 16, including 4 children
Letcher County: 2
Perry County: 3
During Monday’s press conference, Beshear said at least 1,432 Kentuckians have been rescued by first responders from Kentucky, West Virginia and Tennessee.
