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At least 10 people have died due to severe flooding and heavy rainfall across the United States.
At least 10 people have died due to torrential downpours that inundated parts of the southeastern U.S. over the weekend, submerging roads and homes.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear confirmed that nine fatalities occurred in his state, prompting him to declare a state of emergency. He also reported that around 1,000 individuals had to be rescued from floodwaters on Sunday.
The affected regions may soon experience drier but colder conditions, along with potential snowfall and ice, according to BBC forecaster John Hutchinson.
In Georgia, another victim was reported; a man was killed when an uprooted tree fell onto his home while he was in bed.
Storm-related alerts were issued in Kentucky, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina over the weekend. Most of these states had previously experienced severe damage from Hurricane Helene in September.
Initially, hundreds of thousands of homes lost power, but that number decreased to tens of thousands by early Monday, as reported by Poweroutage.us. Some areas in Kentucky saw rainfall totals of up to 6 inches (15 cm), leading to significant flooding.
The sudden surge of rain caused river levels to rise swiftly, trapping vehicles in deep water, and resulting in the closure of hundreds of roads. Victims in Kentucky included a mother and her seven-year-old child, as well as a 73-year-old man.
In Knott County, a resident shared his fear of losing everything again, as he was still rebuilding from devastating floods two years earlier. Danny Laferty described the recent flooding as unprecedented.
Beshear has reached out to the White House for an emergency disaster declaration and federal funding for the impacted areas. President Donald Trump approved the declaration on Sunday, allowing the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to coordinate disaster relief efforts.
In Obion County, Tennessee, heavy rains caused a levee to break, resulting in sudden flooding. The town of Rives, with a population of around 300, was heavily affected, with footage showing waters rushing past trees and rescue boats navigating flooded streets.
Mayor Steve Carr declared a state of emergency in Rives and ordered mandatory evacuations. Additionally, West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey issued a state of emergency for more than a dozen counties over the weekend.
Kristi Noem, head of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees FEMA, stated that she has been in communication with the governors of the impacted states. "While emergency management is best led by local authorities, we reinforced that DHS stands ready to offer immediate resources and support," Noem said.
This same weather system is now bringing heavy snowfall to parts of Canada, while the National Weather Service warns that arctic air may bring record-breaking cold and dangerous wind chills to the central U.S. in the coming week.