'A lot of sorrow' l American Red Cross mobilizes in eastern Kentucky to help victims of floods

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The American Red Cross is one of several organizations in eastern Kentucky mobilizing to help the Kentuckians who lost everything in the floods.

Damage to critical infrastructure and the arrival of more heavy rains hampered efforts Sunday to help Kentucky residents hit by recent massive flooding, Gov. Andy Beshear said.

Beshear said the death toll climbed to 28 on Sunday from last week's storms, a number he expected to rise significantly and that it could take weeks to find all the victims.

Thirty-seven people were unaccounted for as search and rescue operations continued early Sunday, according to a daily briefing from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. A dozen shelters were open for flood victims in Kentucky with 388 occupants.

Misty Thomas, the executive director of the American Red Cross in western Kentucky, said the floods came in with a ferocity that many survivors did not anticipate.

"The common theme is that the waters have came so quickly that they weren't prepared for it to come as quickly as the waters came, and to rise as high as they came," she said.

Sixteen Red Cross shelters are now spread throughout the region, with about 200 Red Cross volunteers on top of their employees.

In addition to helping Kentuckians find shelter and basic necessities they desperately need, the Red Cross is offering meals and health assessments.

Thomas said around 550 people stayed in Red Cross shelters on Saturday night, and more than 1,100 overnight stays have been provided by them since Thursday.

"We are working, word of mouth partnering with agencies and government officials to ensure that they know where the shelters are, what we're offering, what we are providing that we're here to help," Thomas said.

Thomas said the best way to help is to donate to The Red Cross here, so they can continue providing shelters and services to hundreds of people in eastern Kentucky who are now without a home.

"It's very heavy. There's a lot of sorrow. There's a lot of concern. There's a lot of fear," Thomas said. "There's a lot of the fear of the unknown for people when they go through disaster like this and lose everything they have."

FEMA announced on Sunday that renters and homeowners in Breathitt, Clay, Knott, Letcher and Perry counties can apply for individual disaster assistance. Applications can be filed online here or by calling 800-621-3362.

“I fully expect more to be added as was the process in responding to December’s tornadoes," Beshear said.

Thomas said the American Red Cross will be in eastern Kentucky for "as long as they need us to be."

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