In West Virginia, Governor Patrick Morrisey has warned that rivers will continue to rise this week, as search and rescue teams search for missing people. Officials in Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee also warned about the dangerous rivers, which could lead to more evacuations.
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin has requested a major disaster declaration from President Trump, citing “catastrophic flooding” that reached historic levels in Buchanan County, forcing over 150 swift water rescues. Authorities across the eastern U.S. are urging people to stay off the roads as an incoming storm could bring snow and freeze the floodwaters, making travel even more dangerous. Crews are working to clear roads and restore power before the temperatures drop.
In Kentucky, the floods hit the town of Pikeville hard. Bobby Luster, who works at an auto shop, tried to retrieve computers when the water began to rise, but it was already too late. “You couldn’t go through there,” he said. Many residents were forced to evacuate, including Cory Smith, a school district worker, who saw his basement flood with six feet of water.
The death toll from the storm has risen to 11 in Kentucky, including a mother and her 7-year-old child who were found in a submerged car in Bonnieville. A man, William Rutledge, 59, died in a crash on Interstate 65, and a 73-year-old man in Clay County also died during evacuations.
In West Virginia, authorities confirmed one death, but are withholding details until the family is notified. A person was also killed in Atlanta when an uprooted tree fell on a home.
Another winter storm is expected to hit the Midwest before moving eastward, possibly bringing heavy snow. Some areas in Missouri, including Kansas City and Springfield, could see 6 inches or more of snow. Cities in the Mid-Atlantic like Boston, New York, and Philadelphia might not get any snow, but Washington, D.C., could get 6 inches. The storm could also bring snow or ice to parts of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and other southern states.
Authorities are urging everyone to stay alert as these dangerous weather conditions continue.
