Governor declares emergency as Kentucky flash flood kills 2, leaves 6 missing

Image Courtesy: AP Photo/David Stephenson

Flash flooding in Johnson County has claimed lives of at least two person and left six others missing.

Six inches of rain fell on Johnson County on Monday leading flash flooding in the area. According to Kentucky, emergency workers estimated that 500 Johnson County homes have been damaged by the flood and as many as 150 have been destroyed.

The floodwaters rising around Hardin Monday afternoon killed one man and one woman. Search-and-rescue crews, with the assistance of helicopters and seven cadaver dogs, are searching for the six missing person.

The search area stretches more than 8 rugged miles, from the town of Flat Gap south to Staffordsville — an area with 500 homes and 1,200 residents about 120 miles east of Lexington, Yahoo News reported.

Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear declared a state of emergency to give local officials immediate access to state resources to assist in recovery efforts. The Kentucky Division of Emergency Management and the Federal Emergency Management Agency are coordinating the efforts.

Due to the risk of severe weather this afternoon and evening, Kentucky Emergency Management (KYEM) had activated the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) at Level IV on July 13.

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