Elderly woman dies after generator use following Kentucky storm, outages

RUSSELL COUNTY, Ky. (FOX 56) — A prominent Indiana woman has died in connection with the devastating storms that ravaged southeastern Kentucky over the weekend.

On the evening of Sunday, May 18, Gov. Andy Beshear announced that the death toll had risen to 19 after a woman was found dead in Russell County. She’s since been identified as 93-year-old Debra K. Edelman of Richmond, Indiana.

According to the Russell County Coroner’s Office, Edelman died from carbon monoxide exposure.

A witness told Coroner Mark Coots that the area had lost all power due to Friday’s storms, and at some point on Saturday morning, she’d asked a neighbor to turn on her generator. Someone had stopped by to check in and reportedly found Edelman “pulseless and not breathing.”

Coots said she was pronounced deceased just before 4:50 p.m. Saturday.

According to the Richmond Fire Department, Edelman was a “remarkable member” of the community whose “generosity left a lasting legacy.”

“Because of Mrs. Edelman’s vision and support, generations of first responder will benefit from better training, better tools, and better preparation to meet the challenges they face every day. We are deeply grateful for everything she gave, not only through her donations but through the care and respect she showed for those who serve. Her legacy will live on through every member who trains on those grounds she helped make possible,” the department wrote.

Her body was taken to the medical examiner in Frankfort for further examination, Coots said.

The investigation is ongoing.