4 dead in Kentucky floods, governor declares state of emergency as search and rescue efforts underway

By Emma Tucker, CNN

(CNN) — Widespread flooding across Kentucky has left at least four dead Saturday, prompting dozens of rescues after heavy rains wiped out bridges, inundated roads and flooded homes, with more significant rainfall on the way.

Search and rescue efforts have continued throughout the day. Gov. Andy Beshear confirmed one person died in Jackson County and three others died in Madison County, including a man and woman who officials said drowned in a home that was underwater. A few hours earlier, Beshear said one motorist was killed after being swept away by flash flooding.

The governor declared a state of emergency to deploy more resources while announcing six to seven inches of rain deluged some areas of the state. A second round of rainfall is expected in the evening, and the governor urged people to be cautious and avoid unnecessary driving.

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“When it gets dark, it’s going to get even worse. So please, do not drive after dark if you can avoid it,” Beshear said.

The severe weather is the latest in a history of catastrophic flooding in Kentucky, including deadly flash floods in early 2025 when more than a month’s worth of rain deluged much of the state in less than 24 hours. Dozens of people in Kentucky were killed in 2022 when unprecedented flooding inundated houses and swept away some from their foundations.

Precautionary evacuations are underway in one part of Bullitt County, which has been hit particularly hard by Saturday’s flooding. Officials there are closely monitoring a dam.

A portion of the embankment has experienced a landslide, but the dam is holding and there’s no indication of an “imminent failure,” county emergency management officials said.

The Millon Church in Richmond appeared to have collapsed, a video showed. Earlier in the day, the church announced its Saturday service was canceled due to the storm, adding: “Praying everyone stays safe.”

Photos provided by police in Richmond – about 30 miles south of Lexington – show officers blocking off flooded streets and checking on stranded vehicles almost entirely submerged by rising floodwaters.

In Richmond, the two people who died from suspected drowning were trapped in the basement of a flooded home, police said.

The residence was already underwater when police and fire officials arrived at the scene and could not make contact with anyone inside, police said. Rescue teams were later able to make entry and found the bodies of a man and woman, the agency said.

Major intersections in the city are flooded, Richmond Mayor Robert Blythe said. He has been receiving calls from residents concerned about their neighbors whose homes are filling with rising water, Blythe told CNN.

Richmond, to a certain extent, had been “spared” tragic weather affecting the surrounding area in recent years, the mayor said. But now, he added, “It appears to be our turn.”

Elsewhere in Madison County, “significant roads” are under water, with five search and rescue teams on the ground, the governor said.

Five counties, including Bullitt, Madison, Meade, Mercer and Spencer have declared a local state of emergency, the governor’s office said.

CNN has contacted those five counties under a local state of emergency for further information about the effects of the flooding.

At least 12 roads across the state are flooded and cannot be accessed, while numerous bridges in counties like Jessamine have been “entirely wiped out,” the governor said.

Dozens of rescues have been made, Beshear said. The state’s emergency management, state police and swift water rescue teams are responding to emergency requests in local communities, he added.

“We know we’ve already lost at least a handful of Kentuckians. I don’t want to lose anymore,” he said, adding the storms have become “much more severe than most would have thought.”

This story has been updated with additional information.

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