WASHINGTON, July 29 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Joe Biden declared on Friday that "a major disaster exists" in Kentucky amid the deadly flooding in the state.
Biden had ordered federal aid to supplement Kentucky and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by severe storms, flooding, landslides, and mudslides, according to the White House.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear tweeted on Friday morning that the federal funding "is critical for our recovery efforts and Kentuckians impacted by the historic flooding."
Death toll from the heavy rain-caused flooding hitting Eastern Kentucky rose to at least 16, Beshear confirmed Friday.
Beshear said he expected the number to more than double, and "it's going to include some children." There are also a number of people unaccounted for, local media quoted Beshear as saying.
Flooding also hit parts of West Virginia and Virginia. Poweroutage.us reported more than 33,000 customers remained without electricity Friday in eastern Kentucky, West Virginia and Virginia, with the bulk of the outages in Kentucky.
Beshear has declared a state of emergency for all of Kentucky and called in the National Guard to assist in the hardest-hit parts. Kentucky has also opened three state parks for those who lost their homes to take shelter. West Virginia Governor Jim Justice declared a state of emergency for six counties.
