Beshear tours Mayfield, Kentucky, days after city was hit by historic flooding

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear traveled to Mayfield on Friday to tour areas hit by flash flooding earlier this week.

He and other state and local leaders got a look at an elementary school in the western Kentucky city of 10,000 people that was washed out by the flood waters.

Mayfield was one of the hardest hit earlier this week during historic rainfall. Homes and streets were under water, and the city is now left with extensive damage to clean up. The National Weather Service issued flash flood watches and warnings, estimating that as much as 10 inches of rain could fall in the area where Kentucky, Illinois and Missouri meet at the convergence of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers.

Mayfield was one of the areas of western Kentucky that was devastated from tornadoes in 2021, storms so strong that residents are still rebuilding.

Crews had to rescue people from homes, but there were injuries or deaths reported from the flooding.

Beshear declared a state of emergency for parts of western Kentucky.

Please pray for Mayfield and areas of Western Kentucky impacted by significant flooding from last night's storms. We're working to assess the damage and respond. Just like every challenge we've faced, we will be there for all those affected. We will get through this together. ^AB
— Governor Andy Beshear (@GovAndyBeshear) July 19, 2023