Two dead after storms, flooding in Kentucky

Two women died in Kentucky following flash floods, torrential rains and thunderstorms that swept through the Bluegrass State and caused more than 160 rescues in Louisville.

One woman died Friday after her car was swept off a highway during a flash flood around 10 a.m., Kentucky State Police said. Her car was pushed off the road and into a nearby creek in Lee County, about 140 miles southeast of Louisville.

Authorities found the woman’s body around 7 p.m., after the waters receded, police said. No one else was found inside the vehicle and the initial investigation indicates she was alone at the time.

There were 163 water rescues and 59 stranded motorists were helped in Louisville, Mayor Greg Fischer told reporters during a Friday news conference. Cars were submerged and roads washed out following the floods.

A woman died in Powell County and her husband was injured when a tree limb fell on their tent during a storm, according to Officer Rufus Craven of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife. The couple had been camping with their three children, who did not appear to be hurt.

By Saturday, the rain and flooding had stopped, Craven said.

“It’s back to normal now,” Craven told the Los Angeles Times. “The creeks, the rivers are still rising, but nothing considered flood stage -- just high water. It’s sunny and 53 today and not a cloud in the sky.”

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