US: Flooding in Kentucky leaves 16 dead, hundreds homeless

In the United States, 16 people died and a number of people were unaccounted for after floods swamped the Appalachian region of eastern Kentucky state.Torrential rain caused water to gush out of streams and inundate homes in one of the poorest regions of the United States. In some areas, floodwaters washed out roads and bridges and knocked buildings off their foundations. Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear on Friday said, 23,000 households are without power. He confirmed that at least six of the dead were children. The governor added that some people's houses "were completely swept away in the middle of the night while they were sleeping." US President Joe Biden issued a disaster declaration for Kentucky, allowing federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts.

He expressed fear that more lives to be lost due to the catastrophe. The government of Kentucky has deployed the National Guard and state police to rescue people with helicopters and boats. Evacuation Centres have been opened in state parks and other facilities. However, the Governor warned that some of these facilities themselves had been hard-hit by the storms and may be without electricity or other amenities. State authorities are also bringing in drinking water on trucks. The US National Weather Service said, there was an 80 per cent chance the heavy rain would continue today.