At least 28 people have died following severe storms in Kentucky that led to mudslides, landslides and record flash flooding. And at least 14 counties have now been declared as disaster areas.
Philadelphia-area Red Cross volunteers arrived in Kentucky Sunday as more rainfall is expected in the state.
Mary Noll, Fred Lehman and Heidi Dampman – all from American Red Cross of Southeastern Pennsylvania – spoke with NBC10’s Leah Uko.
“Giving the people a warm, safe, dry place to go so they can start the mental process of recovery,” Noll said about her deployment.
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The three said the high-rising water that swept through Thursday removed homes from foundations, tipped cars over, and left some areas under 30 feet of water.
“For those that experienced the flooding in the Pennsylvania area – what I saw is probably ten-times worse,” Lehman said.
Noll said it’s a very resilient community, but it’ll take years for them to recover from the devastation Kentucky has seen in the last 12 months.
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On NBC’s Meet the Press Sunday morning, Gov. Andy Beshear described the destruction.
“It’s tough. This is one of the most devastating deadly floods that we have seen in our history,” Beshear said. “It wiped out areas where people didn’t have that much to begin with.”
Climate experts said global warming has not increased the number of floods, but it has increased their severity.
State officials said thousands of homes across Kentucky did not have power, water, or both as of Sunday.
More rainfall – about one to three inches – is expected over the next two days.
Three other Red Cross workers are volunteering virtually to assist with the floods in Kentucky. For more on how you can help, head to the Red Cross website.
