At least 4 dead in Kentucky floods with more rainfall on the way as search and rescue efforts continue

By Emma Tucker, CNN

(CNN) — Widespread flooding across Kentucky has left at least four dead and prompted dozens of rescues after heavy rains wiped out bridges, inundated roads and flooded homes. More significant rainfall is expected to push east through parts of Kentucky and Tennessee on Sunday.

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, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear confirmed Saturday.

Beshear also declared a state of emergency and urged people to be cautious and avoid unnecessary driving.

“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 in a video posted to X Saturday afternoon.

One motorist was killed after being swept away by flash flooding, Beshear said.

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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. In 2022, dozens of people in Kentucky were killed when unprecedented flooding inundated houses and swept some from their foundations.

Some parts of the state were drenched with 10 to 12 inches of rain in the 48-hour window between Friday and Saturday.

While the same areas are only expected to get one to two inches of rain Sunday, the saturated ground could trigger more flooding as the weekend comes to an end.

Six counties — Bullitt, Cumberland, Madison, Meade, Mercer and Spencer — have declared local states of emergency, according to state officials.

Roads across Cumberland County are not safe for driving, county Judge Luke King said.

“For those who are not required to be out, please stay in,” King said in a Facebook post Sunday morning.

“This isn’t a restriction of your personal freedoms,” he added. “It’s a sincere request to help reduce the number of situations where our first responders and local government teams have to risk their lives to save someone else.”

Precautionary evacuations are underway in one part of Bullitt County, which was hit particularly hard by Saturday’s flooding.

Officials are closely monitoring a dam that recently experienced a landslide. The dam is holding and there’s no indication of an “imminent failure,” county emergency management officials said on Facebook Saturday.

The Million Church in Richmond appeared to have collapsed, according to a video. 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.

The two people who died from suspected drowning in Richmond 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 enter and found the bodies of a man and a 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” from the tragic weather affecting the surrounding area in recent years, the mayor said. “It appears to be our turn,” he added.

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

CNN has contacted the six 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 inaccessible, 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 any more,” he said, adding the storms have become “much more severe than most would have thought.”

This story has been updated with additional information.

Correction: A previous version of this story misspelled the name of Million Church in Richmond.

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CNN’s Allison Chinchar contributed to this report.