Kentucky Emergency Management
Fourth Flood Victim Recovered

FRANKFORT, Ky.  (Feb. 25, 2011) - Rescue workers have recovered the missing 11-year-old child in Graves County, who was apparently swept away by rushing waters as the horse drawn buggy she was in attempted to cross a rain swollen creek.  The family was returning home, near Wingo, Ky. via Roscoe Road when the accident occurred Thursday night.  Overnight, emergency rescue team members recovered the bodies of three other children who were in the family buggy.  The mother and another child were able to make it to safety.

Kentucky Emergency Management (KYEM) officials and the National Weather Service (NWS) began tracking a strong weather system as it moved across Arkansas and headed toward Kentucky and Tennessee, prompting the NWS offices serving Kentucky to conduct conference calls with emergency officials and local leaders detailing forecasts updates. As a result, NWS issued Flash Flood Watches well in advance of the approaching storm and local officials cautioned against driving vehicles through standing water.

"The Graves County accident is such a horrific tragedy. Our heartfelt condolences and prayers go out to the family," said John Heltzel, director of KYEM.

Overnight, officials in Clinton County reported damage to five homes, several outbuildings and a barn destroyed in the Beatty Creek area from high winds or
possibly a tornado.   Local emergency management officials will go to the
scene with NWS officials to determine the cause.  Also in Clinton County, a fire was reported at the Grider Hill Boat Dock where several boats were ablaze.  The cause of the fire was not known when reported.

Several other Kentucky counties in the western and southern regions reported scattered power outages, minor damage from high winds and localized flooding.
There have been no requests for assistance from county governments.

Emergency Management and NWS are tracking another weather system that is expected to impact the state this Sunday continuing into Monday. This system may bring the potential for additional heavy rain and the risk of severe storms.

This new rainfall along with ground saturation may lead to additional flash flooding and river flooding across the Commonwealth.  Please remain aware of this threat and stay informed.

Should you encounter water over a roadway do not attempt to drive through it.
STOP TURN AROUND! Should you encounter a down power line, do not approach it, call your utility provider or local emergency manager.

Road conditions throughout the state can be found on the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet's website at www.511.ky.gov , by calling 511 in Kentucky or 1-866-737-3767 for out-of-state callers.

Weather alerts and updates can be found on the KYEM website at www.kyem.ky.gov .

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