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Governor Beshear declares state of emergency due to storm damage

Gov. Andy Beshear during his Team Kentucky briefing 02/23/23
Gov. Andy Beshear Youtube
Gov. Andy Beshear during his Team Kentucky briefing 02/23/23

State official have had a chance to assess the damage from storms earlier this month. This has led to Governor Beshear declaring a state of emergency. In his declaration, the governor said 22 counties have been severely impacted by the storms. Many of these counties have been involved multiple Major Disaster Presidential Declarations in the past two years.

14 of the counties that declared their own state of emergency are located in central and eastern Kentucky. Most were heavily impacted by last summer’s deadly flooding.

Counties that have declared a state of emergency due to severe weather February 15, 2023:

Boyle

Breathitt

Clay

Jackson

Johnson

Knott

Lawrence

Lee

Leslie

Letcher

Magoffin

Owsley

Powell

Wolfe

Cities that have declared a state of emergency due to severe weather February 15, 2023:

McKee

Manchester

Salyersville

Kentucky’s price gouging laws have also been activated. This means price gouging can be reported to the Office of the Attorney General.

Kentuckians who may be struggling with coping with the emotional distress of another round of flood so close to last summer’s devastating floods are encouraged to call or text the Disaster Distress Helpline at 1-800-985-5990.

The Disaster Distress Helpline is a 24/7, year-round, confidential crisis counseling and emotional support resource for survivors, responders and anyone in the U.S./territories struggling with distress or other mental health concerns related to any natural or human-caused disaster.

More information about the multi-agency resource centers and other flood related services can be found here.

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Stan Ingold is WEKU's News Director. He has worked in public broadcasting for 18 years, starting at Morehead State Public Radio before spending the past 10 years at Alabama Public Radio. Stan has been honored with numerous journalism awards for his public radio reporting.
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