KNREF Emergency Preparedness Update #1, July 29, 2022 - at least 16 are dead and death toll is rising after Kentucky's catastrophic flooding

(CNN) - At least 16 people are dead following catastrophic flooding in Kentucky, Gov. Andy Beshear said Friday. That number is expected to double and includes children, he told CNN earlier, as rescuers scramble to reach areas difficult to access.

"It's going to get a lot higher," Beshear said at a news conference Friday morning, adding that an unknown number of people are missing.

"There's going to be multiple families that we've lost," Beshear told Brianna Keilar on CNN's "New Day" earlier. "Kids that won't get the opportunity to grow up and experience so much that we have."

"This is so deadly, and it hit so hard, and it hit in the middle of the night," the governor said, adding that although eastern Kentucky often floods, "we've never seen something like this."

Rescuers are working around the clock to reach areas where flooding washed away roads or left them under water after heavy rain Wednesday night into Thursday.

Beshear warned that the destruction is not over as rain continued Friday. Eastern Kentucky has a slight to moderate risk of flash flooding through Friday evening as an additional 1 to 3 inches is possible throughout the day, according to the Weather Prediction Center.

And in the area around Jackson, Kentucky, downstream from the hardest-hit flood areas, "streams continue to rise due to excess runoff from earlier rainfall," the National Weather Service office there said Friday.

As floodwaters rose to dangerous levels, some Kentuckians quickly became trapped and were unable to safely escape. Hundreds of boat rescues and 50 air rescues have been made, Beshear said Friday.  The National Guard from multiple states is assisting rescue efforts, he said.

See full CNN report for more detail:  https://edition.cnn.com/2022/07/29/weather/kentucky-appalachia-flooding-friday/index.html

For more updated information, watch Governor’s Friday morning briefing with the FEMA administrator today:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJVI54eIENw