Dozens dead in Appalachian floods

The National Guard assisted search and rescue teams in the quest to find missing persons after record floods rose in eastern Kentucky. The confirmed death toll climbed to 28 on Sunday, while dozens of people remained missing. Firefighter Glenn Caudil told WCHS-TV that 95 percent of the people in the area have lost everything.

How are other states affected? Rescue crews in Virginia and West Virginia also worked to reach people in places where flooding had blocked roadways. Gov. Jim Justice declared a state of emergency in six West Virginia counties, and Gov. Glenn Youngkin did the same, freeing up more resources to fight floods in Virginia. Meanwhile, the National Weather Service said rainfall of 1 to 2 inches per hour is possible Monday in some of the same areas swallowed by flash floods last week.

Dig deeper: Read Jamie Dean’s report from the WORLD archives about how people are finding spiritual riches in some of Kentucky’s poorest regions.