Flash flooding in Kentucky turned deadly in Madison County, where the county coroner confirmed three deaths as water rose across Richmond and emergency crews scrambled to keep up. Gov. Beshear also reported a flood-related death in Jackson County and declared a State of Emergency as the rain kept falling.
The deaths in Madison County included two adult males and one adult female, with two found on University Drive in Richmond and one on Tates Creek Road in Richmond. Jimmy Cornelison said those were flooding related deaths, making the scale of the disaster impossible to miss for families watching the water climb block by block.
That is why the search has intensified today: the flooding was not confined to one street or one county. Richmond Police said flood waters continued to rise across the city, first responders were staying busy with flooded roads, businesses and homes across Madison County, and Trooper Justin Kearney warned drivers not to attempt to drive through high water because they do not know how deep it is.
Donna Slack sent videos from Mackville Road and Deep Creek Road showing high waters, a close look at how quickly the situation spread beyond the city center. Elsewhere, flooding was also reported in Mercer County, and Garrard County Emergency Management said Saturday morning that multiple transformers had blown in the north end of the county and several roads were flooded.
The response widened as the danger did. Madison Home at 105 5th Street opened as an emergency landing station for flood victims in Madison County, the Red Cross was setting up an emergency shelter at First Baptist Church on Eastern Bypass, and Enrich at 110 South Second Street was to serve as an overnight shelter.
One part of the death toll still sits in dispute. Beshear linked a fatality in Jackson County to the flooding, but Paul Hays said he could not confirm whether the deadly automobile accident on Kentucky 290, about four miles from McKee, was flood-related. Beshear said more deaths in Madison County and Jackson County may be confirmed, and that gap is now the number to watch as officials sort out what the water has already taken and what it may yet reveal.
