The death toll from last week’s severe weather in Kentucky has risen to 21, Gov. Andy Beshear announced Saturday.
The state was hit with deadly flooding amid freezing temperatures last weekend, which continued to devastate the central Plains as another storm system brought more heavy snow and wind.
“I’m sad to share the number of those lost to the weather this week has grown to 21, with the most recent a man in Logan County,” Gov. Andy Beshear wrote on X Saturday. “These are our fellow Kentuckians, each one a child of God gone too soon. Please join Britainy and me as we pray for their families.”
Other reported victims of the storms include several adults who died from hypothermia or flooding, as well as at least one child who died with their mother when their car was swept away.
Around 60 million people were under winter weather alerts from the Central Plains to the Carolina coast last week as the storm system intensified.
Beshear announced this weekend that Kentucky has received a disaster declaration from the White House and is waiting on approval for direct assistance from the federal government. The state has also applied for individual assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Beshear has been urging residents to donate to his Team Kentucky Storm Relief Fund, which he set up for those impacted by the storms that began on Feb. 15. Funds will first go toward paying for funerals, he said.
“We have hundreds of families that have been impacted that are gonna be digging out and mucking out today that have lost so much,” Beshear said in a video.
The state may get some relief this week, as temperatures are expected to warm and drier, springlike weather is forecast for the beginning of the week, according to the National Weather Service field office in Louisville.
Approximately 660 residents are still out of power and more than 100 roads are closed across the state, Beshear shared in an update. Nearly 600 Kentuckians are also sheltering outside of their homes — in parks, hotels, schools and churches.
“Kentucky has suffered one of the worst natural disasters in years, with impacts felt statewide,” Beshear posted. “While we still have a long road ahead, I am grateful for the progress being made to restore power, open roads and help our neighbors stay safe. We’re in this together.”
