A flash flood emergency is in effect until 8:30 a.m. ET for parts of Perry, Leslie and Clay counties, and flash flood warnings are in effect for other nearby areas, the National Weather Service said. “This is a particularly dangerous situation. higher now!” the weather service said in an alert early Thursday.
“Many roads are closed and life-threatening flooding is occurring throughout the area,” the weather service said.
About 3 to 6 inches of rain had fallen in the area by early Thursday, with another 1 to 3 inches possible later in the day, the weather service said.
Rescue operations were reported in swift water in Perry County, including in Chavis, a community of several hundred people about 110 miles by car southeast of Lexington, the weather service said.
In the Breathitt County community of Jackson, video recorded by Derrick Lostutter showed floodwater rushing past a home in the pre-dawn darkness Thursday, carrying trash cans and other debris with it.
Breathtaking County has opened the courthouse as a shelter for those displaced by the flooding, the county’s emergency management agency said on Facebook.
“Many roads in the county are covered with water and are impassable. Please stay off the roads if possible tonight,” the post said.
Rescue teams were unable to reach several areas due to “quick water over roads,” the emergency management agency said.
CNN’s Monica Garrett and Sarah Smart contributed to this report
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