Inundated rivers posed the latest threat from a series of persistent storms that have killed at least 20 people — 10 in Tennessee — since last week as they doused the region with heavy rain and spawned destructive tornadoes. Though the storms have finally moved on, the flood danger likewise remains high in several other states, including parts of Tennessee, Arkansas and Indiana.
Cities ordered evacuations and rescue crews in inflatable boats checked on residents in Kentucky and Tennessee, while utilities shut off power and gas in a region stretching from Texas to Ohio.
Floodwaters forced the closure of the Buffalo Trace Distillery, close to the banks of the swollen Kentucky River near downtown Frankfort.
“I think everybody was shocked at how quick (the river) actually did come up,” said salon owner Jessica Tuggle, who was watching Monday as murky brown water approached her business in Frankfort.
She and her friends moved her salon gear — styling chairs, hair products and electronics — up the hill to a nearby taproom.
“Everybody was just, ‘stop raining, stop raining,’ so we could get an idea of what the worst situation would be,” she said.
Officials diverted traffic and turned off utilities to businesses in the city as the river was expected to approach a record crest Monday. More than 500 state roads across Kentucky were still closed Monday morning, Gov. Andy Beshear said.
Ashley Welsh, her husband and four children — along with their pets — had to leave their Frankfort home along the river Saturday evening, abandoning a lifetime of belongings to the floodwaters.
When she awoke to water coming into their house early Saturday, Welsh woke everyone and they packed their truck. By the time they were ready to leave, “there was already 3 feet of water that we had to wade through to get out,” she said.
By Sunday morning, when she checked her house’s cameras, the water had risen to their second floor.
“My stuff was floating around in the living room. I was just heartbroken. Our life is up there,” Welsh said.
