Severe weather killed eight people across Kentucky as storms dumped over 8 inches (200 mm) of rain, leading to widespread flooding and ongoing rescues, officials said Sunday.
Governor Andy Beshear confirmed six flood-related deaths, including a woman and a child in Hart County, while two others died in vehicle accidents. He warned that conditions remain dangerous as flooding continues and snow moves in.
Heavy storms battered multiple states on Saturday. More than 128,000 homes and businesses in Virginia were without power by Sunday afternoon, with significant outages in Georgia, West Virginia, Alabama, and North Carolina, according to PowerOutage.us.
In Atlanta, a man was killed early Sunday when a storm brought down a tree onto his home while he slept, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
By Sunday afternoon, most of the storm had moved off the Mid-Atlantic Coast, but strong winds and lower temperatures persisted, meteorologist David Roth said. In Kentucky, swift water rescue teams remained active, with 19 still operating in the eastern part of the state, Beshear noted.
Wolfe County officials shared images of rescue teams navigating floodwaters in inflatable rafts, helping stranded residents and pets. Rescuers, dressed in red jumpsuits and white helmets, waded through waist-high water to reach homes.
In Manchester, firefighters rescued 14 people and eight animals as of Sunday. “These guys worked tirelessly for over twelve hours, responding to call after call with no break,” the city’s fire department posted on Facebook.
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