Officials declare state of emergency after catastrophic weather event turns fatal: 'There are still people at risk'

Just days after floodwaters inundated Kentucky, a snowstorm and frigid temperatures arrived.

What's happening?

A flood watch was issued for nearly the entire state early Feb. 13, and residents experienced extreme flooding over the weekend. At least two inches of rain fell, and some places received over 6.5 inches in 24 hours.

The downpour stretched across neighboring states — a levee was breached in Tennessee — and brought to mind the floods that killed 39 people in the Bluegrass State just 18 months ago. This storm was not as bad but more widespread and will add further challenges to those ongoing recovery efforts.

In Martin County, 237 people were rescued by boats and helicopters, and 344 roads were closed around the state. The Ohio River — which starts in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north and Kentucky and West Virginia to the south — was not expected to crest in the Cincinnati area until Wednesday night, with a flood warning in effect until Friday morning.

Fourteen people were killed across the entirety of the storm, including one in West Virginia and one in Georgia. 

"One of the biggest challenges is that there is impact and damage everywhere," Gov. Andy Beshear said in a news conference Monday. "There are still people at risk."

Why is this important?

The storms knocked out power and water to residents, and some people were under boil water notices. Up to 8 inches of snow had fallen Tuesday and Wednesday, and freezing temperatures with wind chills below zero were expected through Friday as much of the country was blasted with Arctic air.

Such extreme weather is becoming more frequent and severe because of rising global temperatures. Warmer air holds more moisture, which means heavy rainfall interspersed with drought. Unusual cold snaps could be the result of a destabilizing jet stream, as the polluting and heat-trapping gases released by the burning of dirty fuels for energy drive peaks and valleys.

"I think we know that climate change is making more weather events happen, but we keep getting hit over and over," Beshear said.

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What's being done about extreme weather?

The governor noted that a good forecast was helpful and allowed first responders to stage operations in areas where they knew there would be flooding. They conducted 1,000 rescues in 24 hours, he said. There were 1,400 rescues in 48 hours in 2022.

Drivers should not bypass barricades or otherwise travel through floodwaters, Beshear emphasized, which presents a danger not only to those who do so but also to rescuers. 

In the big picture, we can try to lessen extreme weather by making small behavioral changes, including shopping at thrift stores, washing clothes in cold water, and using less plastic.

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