FRANKFORT, Ky. – A relentless barrage of tornadoes and historic flash flooding across several states has now claimed at least 16 lives, according to state and local officials.
The latest death occurred near the town of Boston, Kentucky, where the Nelson County Sheriff’s Office said a 74-year-old driver was found dead Saturday morning in their vehicle after authorities responded to a call for a water rescue. Authorities have not identified the victim.
“Please do not try to cross flooded roadways,” authorities said in a post on Facebook. “The end result does not out weigh the risk. Turn around don’t drown is more than a saying it’s the difference between life and death.”
In Frankfort, Kentucky, police said a boy was swept away by floodwaters while on his way to the school bus stop in the Hickory Hills area. He was found dead a few hours later by EMS and first responders. The Franklin County Coroner identified the boy as 9-year-old Gabriel Andrews.
“A tragedy such as this is felt by our entire community, and we all grieve together,” Frankfort Mayor Layne Wilkerson said. “We encourage our community to be diligent and stay safe during this weekend’s continuing severe weather event.”
This comes after a deadly tornado outbreak killed at least seven people and spawned more than 30 reports of twisters across the lower and mid-Mississippi Valley on Wednesday.
At least 10 of those deaths happened in Tennessee, state officials said. On Thursday, President Donald Trump approved the disaster declaration for all 95 counties in Tennessee, setting in motion FEMA’s response to disaster relief across the state.
And one death was reported in Little Rock in connection to the severe weather threat across Arkansas.
The storms have also injured dozens of others and destroyed several homes from Arkansas, Missouri and Tennessee through Kentucky, Illinois and Indiana.
In Missouri, Whitewater Fire Protection District Chief Garry Moore was killed while responding to severe weather on Wednesday night along Highway 25 between Advance and Delta, Missouri. A statement from Whitewater Fire Protection District said the department responded on Wednesday night “to assist with search and rescue efforts due to widespread damage from a presumed tornado.”
“During the response, Chief Moore observed a vehicle off the roadway and stopped to assess the incident and render aid if needed,” the statement said. “A short time later, Chief Moore was found unconscious at the scene.”
Hendricks County Sheriff’s Office officials in Indiana said a 27-year-old Danville man was killed during the storm when his vehicle ran over downed power lines. At some point, the driver got out of the car and came into contact with the live power lines, deputies said.
And hundreds of roads across the river valleys are impassible.
Assessments are underway, such as in Hot Springs, Arkansas, where floodwaters took out part of Highway 171 – which is one of dozens of impassable roadways.
