By Kentucky Emergency Management/Day
Western Kentucky – Frankfort, Ky. (May 6, 2011) Emergency Management officials report that because of controlled water releases from some Kentucky lakes, the lower Ohio River will continue to rise slightly through Saturday. No additional evacuations are expected at this time; however, officials remind residents to heed directions if asked to evacuate.
According to river authorities, levels on the lower Ohio River from Smithland downstream are projected to rise an additional six inches before cresting on Saturday. The expected rise is due in part from controlled water releases from Lake Barkley and Kentucky Lake.
Officials in Hickman are optimistic the reinforced levee is capable of holding back the expected crest of the Mississippi River. Engineers and emergency response teams are monitoring the Hickman and Smithland levees around the clock for signs of failure or breach.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced today they have completed their levee breaches on the west side of the Mississippi River, relieving flooding on both the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers. To date, approximately 3,800 Kentuckians have evacuated their homes because of flooding.
Gov. Steve Beshear declared a state of emergency on April 25 to allow local officials immediate access to state resources to assist in public safety and recovery efforts. He also requested a disaster declaration for Kentucky's farm families from Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, and directed the temporary suspension of restrictions on certain motor carriers and utility vehicles delivering disaster relief supplies. In addition, Gov. Beshear implemented an executive order to protect consumers from price gouging.
President Obama granted Kentucky a Major Disaster Declaration for Public Assistance on Wednesday. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) personnel and KYEM personnel are in the process of conducting damage assessments in the impacted areas. As these joint damage assessments continue, those who have suffered damage from the floods are reminded to photograph damages and keep receipts of any repair work done, and to report all damages to the local emergency director.
The Commonwealth Emergency Operations Center (CEOC) at Boone Center in Frankfort, KY remains active at Level III in support of the severe weather response. At Level III, Commonwealth Cabinets offer liaisons to assist in emergency response and requested assistance.
Kentucky National Guard (KyNG) is working with National Guard Bureau and the Kentucky Wing of the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) missioning CAP aircraft to photograph flooded areas for emergency management professionals. These photos provide important information for search and rescue operations, damage assessment, and future flooding projections.
KyNG and Kentucky Division of Emergency Management requested activation of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) international charter, which utilizes all satellites during a declared federal disaster. This allows detailed satellite imagery used in creating maps to show the extent of flooded areas. This data has also been supplied to FEMA for regional coordination of imagery products.
Approximately 750 people are without power due to the flooding. These are forced outages related to flooded businesses and residents.
According to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC), approximately 235 roads are closed affecting more than 50 counties. Because of the rapidly changing nature of flooding, road closure information can quickly become outdated. Before traveling to an affected area, check with local authorities. Traffic information for interstates, parkways and major routes is available at www.511.ky.gov or by calling 511. In addition, KYTC has a map on its website www.transportation.ky.gov indicating road closures.
The Kentucky Department for Public Health (DPH) reminds Kentuckians to follow safety guidelines in the wake of severe flooding and water run-off throughout the state. Please exercise caution when returning to flood damaged homes and businesses.
For more information about public health issues related to flooding, visit the Health Alerts website www.healthalerts.ky.gov/ or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/floods/.
Additional information and notices can also be found at www.kyem.ky.gov/aprilsevereweather . There you can also direct link to a new open facebook group where users can join. This is a dedicated social media site offering disaster specific information, links, photos and videos.