Relentless rains flooded much of the central U.S. on Friday, pushing creeks and streams out of the bank and cutting off the deviant roads and the entire community. A violent flood killed a 9-year-old boy who was swept Friday morning while sweeping to the school bus in Kentucky.
He has been the eighth death in the storm since Wednesday. More than 30 tornadoes have been torn in the area, and more may be available over the weekend. Currently, the storm has stalled from Arkansas to Michigan, leaving communities highly alert to cause more dangerous flooding.
Many places are still in the heavy rain and debris left by high-speed winds that began Wednesday night, even as the rain continues to fall, the Thunder keeps crashing and the rivers cross the Midwest and South. Some people will not rest until mid-next week, meaning the effects of the storm may move slowly and be ruthless.
Kentucky took a hard blow on Friday. Transport officials said state roads were closed in 200 places across the state due to high water levels. In Campbell County, just across the Ohio River from Cincinnati, crews are working for hours to clear out debris that flooded a rural highway.
Officials said in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, a city of about 30,000 people northwest of Nashville, about a dozen residents trapped in rising water were rescued in the first few hours on Friday. Many officials warn residents that the worst damage to the storm could occur as the river rises, even next week.
“We are still in high dangers in the weather,” Michael Mueller, a county judge and executive in Franklin County, Kentucky, said Friday. “It’s very, very dangerous.”
Franklin County includes Frankfort, the 9-year-old boy died Friday morning. His death is another incredible reminder that the country has caused extreme weather to the region in recent years, especially flooding. Earlier this year, at least 11 people in eastern Kentucky were caused by flash floods.
Residents of River City and city are watching the rising waters and piled up sandbags, with more rain expected to come from eastern Texas to Illinois on Friday and continue throughout much of the area until weekends. The National Weather Service warns that a flash flood could harm the lower and southern Ohio valleys to the southern Mississippi valleys.
Flash flood warnings will also be issued most of the time in central and western Kentucky until Friday afternoon. In Boston, Kentucky, about 35 miles south of Louisville, Bruce Gooden can see the water crawling up while cutting his hair at a barber shop near Lick Creek.
The swelling stream of heavy rains was unable to flow into the nearby Rolling Fork River, which was already above the flood stage. Mr. Gooden, 63, had seen water rise before, but the heavy downpour of an hour and the broken lightning emitted a sense of doom.
“The water never came into my store, but I was worried this time it would happen,” he said, he piled the sand on the bed of the truck and was ready to pack and stack the water if it rose.
“I can play with my ears,” he said. “I will do my best.”
The biggest rainfall could cause dangerous flooding on Friday, which is dangerous flooding that has fallen into a large part of Arkansas and a small portion of southern Missouri, including Ozarks. On Saturday, forecasters expected the threat to spread to boot heels in Missouri and Western Kentucky and Tennessee.
Flooding is expected on the road, and major rivers may overflow over their banks, as saturated ground will not absorb several inches of rain.
“I think the next 24 to 36 hours unfortunately are the total amount of rain we start to see the event,” said Frank Pereira, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service.
Severe thunderstorms of tornadoes may also occur on Friday in the same general area. This risk will hit Saturday in areas including Memphis, Little Rock, Ark and Miss Jackson. In this area, strong and harmful wind gusts and large hail (perhaps bigger than lime) are more likely than tornadoes.
In Tennessee, at least five people, including a teenage girl, were killed by a storm this week, with several inches of rain causing major floods and closing roads throughout Thursday.
Others who died in the storm include a fire chief from Missouri and a 27-year-old man from Indiana.
In New Madrid, Mississippi, a city along the Mississippi River at risk of rising water levels, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers brought sandbag-filled machines to cheer city workers. In Arkansas, participants in the Department of Correctional Release Program help fill the sandbags in Salt County.
Customer anxiety at a grocery store in Boston, Kentucky seems to have gradually increased as people prepare.
“You have to be ahead and realize that, make plans,” said Steve Fox, 68, who said, “But if the water rises, the mountain could turn into an island. “The water could cross the road and I’m going to be cut off for a few days,” he said. ”
For those who have been long enough, the 1997 flood (one of the deadliest disasters in Kentucky’s history) is a measure of such events, and residents fear that the days ahead will bring something comparable.
Denise Baker worked for 31 years at Boston Food Mart, where Fox shops, with 20 of them as manager. During this time, the flood never violated her store, but she knew it wasn’t something that wouldn’t happen this time.
She knows how relied on stores in the community and she is determined to maintain this lifeline – even if stores can only be accessed by boat.
“We will try to keep the store open as much as possible,” she said.
Carly Gist,,,,, Jenny Gross,,,,, Mickey Smith and Sara Ruberg Contribution report.
