Kentucky flooding leaves at least 30 dead

Flooding triggered by torrential rains in eastern Kentucky has killed at least 30 people, including four children. The governor of the State, Andy Beashear, has assured this Monday that the number of fatalities will increase in the coming hours.

The authorities have redoubled efforts to provide food and shelter to thousands of displaced people. The US National Weather Service has forecast continued rain and storms through Tuesday, August 2, which may hamper rescue efforts. “If things weren’t hard enough for people in this region, it’s raining right now,” Beshear said. Since last Thursday, members of the National Guard from Kentucky, Tennessee (neighbor to the south) and West Virginia have joined local police and Department of Fish and Wildlife agents to rescue survivors.

A day before the Kentucky rains, an unprecedented storm hit St. Louis, Missouri, killing one person. Both events, which experts describe as extraordinary, they were caused by the same atmospheric configuration, and exemplify the kind of unprecedented events that meteorologists will have to face more often due to global warming.

subscribe here to the newsletter of EL PAÍS América and receive all the key information on current affairs in the region.

Join EL PAÍS to follow all the news and read without limits.

subscribe