At least 36 Kentucky counties and 11 cities have declared states of emergency after flood waters caused significant property damage and mud slides.
Several counties, including Wolfe County, also experienced the collapse of major roadways, and in many cases stranded residents. In Wolfe County, about 70 miles east of Richmond, nearly 20 residents were stranded when two roadways collapsed, with one collapse leaving a gaping 50 feet of hole in the pavement. Local fire departments performed rescues and temporary bridges are being constructed.
The Mountain Parkway was closed at the 66 mile marker in Wolfe County after a mudslide.
In Magoffin County, a nursing home was evacuated to a middle school after flood waters threatened the facility.
In Green County, three adults and six pets were rescued from a home Sunday afternoon as water levels quickly rose around their mobile home in Greensburg.
Several county rescue squads helped transport the family and their animals to safety on rafts.
Locally, late Saturday afternoon at about 4:45, several Leitchfield and Grayson County roadways had significant amounts of water over the roads, with a few roadways impassable. The rain, though, subsided significantly within an hour, as did the number of locations experiencing water over the road.
In Pulaski County, Lake Cumberland broke a nearly 40 years lake level record on Saturday night.
According to a post on the Lake Cumberland Facebook page, the record was broken Saturday night at 9:55 when the lake reached 751.70 feet, beating the previous high mark of 751.69, recorded in May 1984.
Officials said all 10 spillway gates at the lake are open to handle the enormous amount of water.
Also in Pulaski County, an elderly driver failed to heed a “Road Closed” sign and entered a high water area where the flood waters reached the bottom of the vehicle’s windows. Two Pulaski County deputies rescued the driver.
On Monday afternoon, Gov. Matt Bevin declared a state of emergency for the entire state. The Governor’s executive order enables the mobilization of state resources to be to be utilized in support of cities and counties as needed.
Kentucky Division of Emergency Management (KYEM) activated the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) on Friday, Feb. 22, at a Level 4. To date, KYEM has received 36 county and 11 city state of emergency declarations.
(Headline photo: Wolfe County road collapse, courtesy of WKYT.com)
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com or 270-259-6000
