UPDATE (10:45 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 2): Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear announced on Twitter that President Joe Biden has approved Individual Assistance for Floyd and Pike Counties.

FRANKFORT, KY (WOWK)—Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear provided an update on the commonwealth’s response to devastating flooding in Eastern Kentucky on Tuesday morning.

Gov. Beshear says that the death toll from the Kentucky flooding is now up to 37.

In a tweet, Beshear said:

“We are ending the day with more heartbreaking news out of Eastern Kentucky. We can confirm the death toll has now risen to 37, with so many more still missing. Let us pray for these families and come together to wrap our arms around our fellow Kentuckians.”

Governor Andy Beshear on Twitter (@GovAndyBeshear)

On Monday, Gov. Beshear ordered all state offices to lower their flags to half-staff beginning at sunrise on Tuesday, Aug. 2 and ending at sunset on Sunday, Aug. 7 to recognize the loss that so many Kentuckians have been through. He also said he would light the Capitol dome and the Governor’s mansion green, the color of compassion, as he did during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Residents in four eastern Kentucky counties may qualify for disaster assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to cover damages from recent severe storms, flooding, landslides and mudslides.

The federal funding is available to impacted residents in Breathitt, Clay, Knott, Letcher and Perry counties.

Beshear says that with the damage experienced in Floyd and Pike Counties, he expects federal funds to be made available for those counties in the future. He said that he requested additional assistance from FEMA for these counties.

Mobile FEMA registration centers will be open to help with applications for federal assistance and provide information about other disaster recovery resources. Here are the registration centers:

Courtesy: Gov. Andy Beshear

According to the Kentucky State Police, if you want to report someone in Magoffin, Johnson, Martin, Floyd or Pike counties, contact Post 9 Pikeville at 606-433-7711.

If you want to report someone missing in Breathitt, Perry, Knott, Letcher or Leslie counties, contact Post 13 Hazard at 606-435-6069.

If you want to report someone missing in Jackson, Owsley or Lee counties, contact Post 7 Richmond at 859-623-2404.

If you want to report someone missing in Wolfe or Morgan counties, contact Post 8 Morehead at 606-784-4127.

If you want to report someone missing in Harlan County, contact Post 10 Harlan at 606-573-3131.

If you want to send an email, send an email to ksppubaff@ky.gov.

They say to make sure you include:

  • Your name
  • Your phone number
  • Missing person’s name
  • Missing person’s county of residence
  • Missing person’s description (gender, age, race, etc.)
  • Missing person’s home address and phone number

Just over 8,000 customers in Kentucky are still without power, according to Kentucky Power’s outage map.