Weather claims 2 more lives in Kentucky, bringing toll to 14. More cold and snow on the way.
Republished from Kentucky Lantern
The rainfall and flooding that hit Kentucky over the weekend — and subsequent snow and cold — have now killed 14 people, Gov. Andy Beshear announced Tuesday.
The latest two, a woman and a man, were in Jefferson County. They “appear to have been homeless” and “to have died by hypothermia,” Beshear said.
“That should tell all of us that the weather conditions are as dangerous as that water is,” Beshear said.
While Kentuckians reel from the deadly flooding, a cold front is approaching, with a potential 6-8 inches of snow coming in the next couple of days across the state.
“This is a snow storm in the middle of a national disaster,” Beshear said. It’s also going to get “really cold,” with wind chills in the negative digits in some areas over the next three days.
Because of that cold, Beshear said, “if you cannot safely power your home by the middle of today, you need to be looking at a shelter option.” There are still about 4,300 Kentuckians without power.
Kentucky Emergency Management Director Eric Gibson said he’s focused on heating issues along with stabilizing efforts following the flooding.
“Those that have got power restored may not have all of their homes back in operational order,” Gibson said.
“They may not have all their heating appliances, or their furnaces have been damp, or their hot water heaters have been damp. We know that many of those appliances may be failed at this point, and we understand that that cold weather that’s coming in is going to increase the need for our team to provide resources to those individuals that may be in those situations.”
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