Powerful storms repeatedly struck parts of the South and Midwest late last week and over the weekend, killing dozens of people across multiple states and giving way to disastrous flooding in a number of regions. Some Kentucky cities and towns have seen inundation reach historic levels, as heavy rainfall caused major rivers to swell and spill over onto the land.
In Frankfort, the state’s capital city, flooding from the Kentucky River submerged vast areas. Photos show the extent of the damage, capturing vehicles, highways, homes and buildings either partially or completely under water.
The worst of Frankfort’s flooding seemed to be over by Tuesday, said Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear during a news conference in the capital, adding that the river had crested, which means water levels reached their highest point and were expected to slowly recede from then on.
“We hope by the end of tomorrow, most people will be able to get back in their homes,” Beshear said. According to the governor, emergency crews in Frankfort rescued two people by boat just this week, as severe weather temporarily cut off residents’ access to water. Water in the city had been restored by Tuesday, he said, but driving in the area still wasn’t safe.
While Kentucky River flooding has started to abate, water levels along the Ohio River, which runs through Louisville, have yet to reach their peak, and forecasters warned dangerous flooding could still be ahead for residents in and around Kentucky’s largest city.
The National Water Prediction Service, an office within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, has indicated that a portion of the Ohio River at McAlpine Upper, near downtown Louisville, may crest at around 37 feet on Wednesday. If that happens, it would rank among the worst flooding events in the area’s history, CBS News affiliate WLKY reported.
Close to 150 people have been rescued across Kentucky since these storms began, while 272 have been evacuated by boat as of Tuesday, Beshear said. At least five people statewide have died from weather-related incidents since last week, CBS News has confirmed. The dead include a 9-year-old boy swept away Friday on his way to school, and a 74-year-old whose body was discovered Saturday inside of a submerged vehicle, authorities said.
More have died outside of just Kentucky, and additional photos show flooding damages elsewhere in the Midwest. Unrelenting storms dumped rain and, in several instances, spawned tornadoes across a wide band of the United States, leaving trails of destruction in neighboring states like Tennessee, Missouri, Arkansas, Georgia and more.
At least 10 people were killed in Tennessee alone, according to the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, which was also scrambling resources to deal with catastrophic flooding this week. Three were confirmed dead during storms in Missouri, two were killed in Arkansas and another two in Georgia. Mississippi and Indiana have so far confirmed one death each due to the storms.
