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Kentucky

Kentucky death toll from floods rises to 35 as state braces for more severe weather

'Hundreds' of people are still unaccounted for, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said

Paul Best By Paul Best Fox News
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Helicopter rescues family trapped in attic amid Kentucky flooding Video

Helicopter rescues family trapped in attic amid Kentucky flooding

Rescue crews in Wolfe County, Kentucky, rescued a family of five trapped in an attic as floodwaters nearly submerged homes following catastrophic flooding devastated the eastern part of the state last week. Credit: Wolfe County Search and Rescue

The death toll from last week's flooding in Kentucky rose to 35 on Monday as the state prepares for more severe weather, including heavy rainfall and damaging winds through Monday evening. 

The ground in parts of eastern Kentucky is still saturated from the 8 to 10 1/2 inches of rain that fell in just 48 hours starting on July 26. 

Those saturated soils and weakened root systems could lead to trees and power lines falling over, even during sub-severe wind gusts, the National Weather Service said. 

  • Kentucky River floods
    Image 1 of 3

    A man walks with water up to his knees on the street flooded by the North Fork of the Kentucky River in Jackson, Kentucky on July 28, 2022.  (LEANDRO LOZADA/AFP via Getty Images)

  • Floods in Jackson, Kentucky
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    Lewis Ritchie, pulls a kayak through the water after delivering groceries to his father-in-law on July 28, 2022 outside Jackson, Kentucky.  (Michael Swensen/Getty Images)

  • Flash floods in Kentucky
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    A bridge and a road are submerged by floodwaters from the North Fork of the Kentucky River in Jackson, Kentucky on July 28, 2022.  (LEANDRO LOZADA/AFP via Getty Images)

Isolated flash flooding is also possible as heavy rainfall moves through eastern Kentucky on Monday evening through the day on Tuesday. 

"There is severe storm potential today in all of the impacted areas. That is just not right," Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said on Monday morning, calling the storms the "deadliest and the most devastating" that he has ever seen.

First responders, including Kentucky State Police, the National Guard, and volunteers, continued searching for survivors on Monday. 

KENTUCKY'S APPALACHIAN CULTURAL CENTER RECOVERING FROM FLOODING

A Kentucky National Guard medevac crew saved a family of five who were trapped in their attic in Wolfe County. 

"There are hundreds of unaccounted for people, minimum," Beshear said.

"We just don't have a firm grasp on that. I wish we did. There are a lot of reason why it's nearly impossible. I just want to make sure that we're not giving either false hope or faulty information."

  • Kentucky rescuers
    Image 1 of 3

    Members of the Morehead Fire Department conduct search and rescue operations downtown on July 28, 2022, in Jackson, Kentucky. (Michael Swensen/Getty Images)

  • Kentucky homes flooded
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    Aerial view of homes submerged under flood waters from the North Fork of the Kentucky River in Jackson, Kentucky. (LEANDRO LOZADA/AFP via Getty Images)

  • Flooded homes
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    Homes along Gross Loop off of KY-15 are flooded with water from the North Fork of the Kentucky River. (Arden S. Barnes/For The Washington Post via Getty Images)

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President Biden declared a federal disaster last week to federal funds to impacted communities. 

Flooding also hit West Virginia and Virginia, prompting the governors of those states to declare a state of emergency for affected counties. 

Paul Best is a breaking news reporter for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. Story tips and ideas can be sent to Paul.Best@fox.com and on Twitter: @KincaidBest.