Beshear updates flood recovery: Death toll rises to 6, submitting FEMA request Friday

FRANKFORT, Ky. (FOX 56) — Gov. Andy Beshear said the state is not at a point to require a special session to respond to natural disasters “yet.”

As Kentucky moves past its latest disaster, Beshear is concerned that the available money budgeted to respond could be maxed out before lawmakers craft the state’s next budget in 2026.

“We are going to reach that cap at some point. I don’t have a date for you yet. My goal would be to try to do something about it before we hit it. But remember, these natural disasters, we don’t get to plan,” Beshear said.

At Thursday’s Team Kentucky briefing, Beshear explained the scale of the disaster. More than 70 counties declared states of emergency, and the Ohio River is expected to crest in communities further downstream—Owensboro, Henderson, and Paducah—over the weekend, possibly into next week. Beshear said this is unlikely to cause more flooding, but said there is still concern about bad road conditions.

The death toll has now also risen to 6 after the death of a 66-year-old Carroll County man.

“Each of these deaths is attributable to floodwater. And so this is another reminder that it is still dangerous out there. Do not drive through water. Do not drive around barricades,” Beshear said.

Beshear said the state will be submitting its application for individual FEMA assistance on Friday. If approved, he expects the initial help to be for a limited number of 10 to 12 counties but promises there will be more.

“We want to make our best case to get that first round in, and then we will add counties. After that, we’ve been through enough of these. We know that that is the fastest, most effective, and most efficient process to do it,” Beshear said.

Beshear said conversations are already underway with FEMA about where to place disaster recovery centers when the request is approved. Affected families could be eligible for an initial $750 in help and up to $42,000, depending on what’s claimed.

“And everybody needs to document, document, document, take pictures of everything damaged, get as specific as you can; if you can get the serial number on a damaged appliance, that will help your application significantly,” Beshear said.