Governor Beshear gives update on deadly flooding recovery

Governor pushes for federal aid as state relief efforts continue

FRANKFORT, Ky. (ABC 36 NEWS NOW) — Governor Andy Beshear provided updates Monday morning on the state’s recovery efforts following last week’s historic and deadly flooding.

After donating blood with the American Red Cross at the Capitol Rotunda, Beshear shared the latest on disaster relief efforts across Kentucky.

“Sadly today our death toll has now climbed to 22, with the newest fatality being an adult male in Marshall County who we lost through hypothermia,” Beshear said.

With hundreds still in emergency shelters, the governor stressed the urgency of securing an expedited major disaster declaration from the federal government. If approved, the declaration would provide up to $40,000 in individual assistance grants.

Beshear warned that without federal funding, the financial burden on the state and local governments would be severe.

“The state would ultimately, and the counties would be on the hook for the majority of that, as opposed to the federal government coming in saying ‘we’re going to help you out like we have in the past.’ So it would be very harmful to the families impacted, and it would be harmful to the state as well,” Beshear said.

The senior official performing the duties of the FEMA Adminstrator, Cameron Hamilton, is expected to visit Kentucky tomorrow. Beshear emphasized FEMA’s critical role in past disaster recovery efforts.

“We have just been hit hard with billions of dollars worth of damage, without federal assistance, we couldn’t do it. Without federal assistance, we couldn’t have made it through all those natural disasters, and our people certainly couldn’t have made it through all those natural disasters,” Beshear said.

So far, the Team Kentucky Relief Fund has raised over $300,000, with funds allocated for funeral costs for victims.