As communities in the central US grapple with widespread devastation from a line of deadly storms that spawned dozens of tornadoes this week, more grave threats to the region are underway: additional severe thunderstorms and relentless rain with the potential to trigger “generational” flooding into the weekend.
At least eight people have been killed across Tennessee, Missouri, Indiana and Kentucky during extreme weather this week. The most recent death occurred Friday morning, when a boy was swept away by floodwaters while walking to his school bus stop in Frankfort, Kentucky, police said.
He was identified as 9-year-old Gabriel Andrews, the Franklin County Coroner’s Office told CNN in a statement. Gabriel’s body was found about half a mile from where he was reportedly swept away, Coroner William C. Harrod said. It took first responders more than two hours to find his body, police said.
The Mississippi Valley, including parts of Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee and Mississippi, is in the midst of a three-day stretch of a level 4 of 4 high risk of flooding rain – an occurrence almost unheard-of outside hurricane season. The prolonged extreme flood threat adds another level of danger and misery for anyone picking up the pieces from extensive storm damage.
About 260 flood warnings spanned at least 15 states Friday evening and those numbers will likely climb into the weekend.
Around 4 million people are under flash flood warnings across five states that stretch from Texas to Kentucky.
On Friday afternoon, severe storms fired up in northeastern Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas that led to multiple tornado warnings and some observed tornadoes, forcing people to take shelter.
Damage was reported in northeast Texas following a series of tornadoes. In Wood County, one person was injured and at least one house was damaged by toppled trees, according to county emergency officials.
Flash flooding fueled by intense rainfall forced water rescues in Missouri and Kentucky Friday afternoon. There were 15 water rescues in Van Buren, Missouri, alone after 3 inches of rain fell.
Residents in Louisville, Kentucky, were asked to temporarily reduce their water use for appliances like washing machines and dishwashers as the sanitary sewer system hit capacity.