A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
We're going to check in now on Kentucky, which is bracing for a winter storm. This comes after weekend floods killed at least 12 people and displaced hundreds more. Thousands, though, remain without power and water. Stan Ingold of member station WEKU has been following the aftermath.
STAN INGOLD, BYLINE: Floods range from the Mississippi River in the west to the Appalachian Mountains in the east.
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ROCKY ADKINS: This is so much broader than past natural disasters.
INGOLD: That is eastern Kentucky native Rocky Adkins. He is senior adviser to Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear. He says some rivers still have not crested. This flood impacted the entire state and brought back memories of tornadoes in 2021 that killed 80 and the 2022 floods that killed 45. Adkins says that's a lot to endure.
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ADKINS: Man, we've been punched too much. We've had our guts knocked out. We take a right cross and then an uppercut, and then we get hit in the gut again. But I'm going to tell you about our people. Man, they get knocked down. They crawl right back up.
INGOLD: One of the hardest-hit areas is Pike County, Kentucky, where at least three people died. Ray Jones is the county judge executive.
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RAY JONES: We do think that there are potentially additional fatalities. We don't know that.
INGOLD: Rescue teams continue to search for some people who are missing. Jones says that there's also a lot of work ahead.
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JONES: And we have hundreds of structures, both business and residential, that have been damaged. And a lot of the individuals who have been harmed by this flood have been also damaged in recent floods.
INGOLD: It's expected to take a while to assess all of the damage, and there's more severe weather this week. A winter storm is forecast for tonight. Officials say it could make things even more difficult for crews working to clear roads and restore water and power.
For NPR News, I'm Stan Ingold in Richmond, Kentucky. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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