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'We're Going To Be Finding Bodies For Weeks,' Kentucky Governor Says About Flood

'We're Going To Be Finding Bodies For Weeks,' Kentucky Governor Says About Flood

At least 28 people have been found dead, but local authorities warn there will be a lot more.

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A firefighter from the Lexington Fire Department Search and Rescue team  checks on a dog during a targeted search on Highway 476 where three  people are still unaccounted for on July 31, 2022 near Jackson,  Kentucky.
A firefighter from the Lexington Fire Department Search and Rescue team checks on a dog during a targeted search on Highway 476 where three people are still unaccounted for on July 31, 2022 near Jackson, Kentucky.
Photo: Michael Swensen (Getty Images)

At least 28 people have died in the floods that have hit eastern Kentucky, according to the latest update from the state. And Kentuckyā€™s Governor warns the death toll is going to get much worse in the coming days and weeks.

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ā€œWeā€™re going to be finding bodies for weeks, many of them swept hundreds of yards, maybe a quarter-mile plus from where they were last,ā€ Gov. Andy Beshear said on NBCā€™s Meet the Press on Sunday.

The flooding started Thursday of last week and the official death toll by Friday had already reached 16 people. And not only will more people be found dead from this flooding in the future, the poorest are going to be disproportionately impacted, a common result of a rapidly changing climate thatā€™s driving more devastating flooding events around the globe.

ā€œThis is one of the most devastating deadly floods that we have seen in our history,ā€ Gov. Beshear said on Sunday. ā€œIt wiped out areas where people didnā€™t have that much to begin with.ā€

Viewers can click through to see more heartbreaking photos from the floods of the past few days.

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Homes Destroyed

Homes Destroyed

People work to clear a house from a bridge near the Whitesburg Recycling  Center in Letcher County, Ky., on Friday, July 29, 2022.
People work to clear a house from a bridge near the Whitesburg Recycling Center in Letcher County, Ky., on Friday, July 29, 2022.
Photo: Ryan C. Hermens/Lexington Herald-Leader (AP)
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Rising Waters

Rising Waters

A house is seen almost completely submerged off of the Bert T Combs  Mountain Parkway on July 29, 2022 in Breathitt County, Kentucky.
A house is seen almost completely submerged off of the Bert T Combs Mountain Parkway on July 29, 2022 in Breathitt County, Kentucky.
Photo: Michael Swensen (Getty Images)
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Cars Underwater

Cars Underwater

Mud is seen inside a water-damaged car in the aftermath of historic  flooding in Eastern Kentucky near Jackson, Kentucky on July 31, 2022.
Mud is seen inside a water-damaged car in the aftermath of historic flooding in Eastern Kentucky near Jackson, Kentucky on July 31, 2022.
Photo: Seth Herald / AFP (Getty Images)
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Schools Flooded

Schools Flooded

Employees of the Hindman Settlement School clean out the offices of the  school following flooding in Hindman, Ky., Friday, July 29, 2022.
Employees of the Hindman Settlement School clean out the offices of the school following flooding in Hindman, Ky., Friday, July 29, 2022.
Photo: Timothy D. Easley (AP)
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Infrastructure Failing

Infrastructure Failing

Volunteers and city workers try to reconnect the water supply to a nursing home in Elkhorn City, Ky., on Friday, July 29, 2022.
Volunteers and city workers try to reconnect the water supply to a nursing home in Elkhorn City, Ky., on Friday, July 29, 2022.
Photo: Ryan C. Hermens/Lexington Herald-Leader (AP)
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Mud Covers It All

Mud Covers It All

Will Anderson, Director of the Hindman Settlement School sorts through  the mud covered objects in his office in Hindman, Ky., Friday, July 29,  2022.
Will Anderson, Director of the Hindman Settlement School sorts through the mud covered objects in his office in Hindman, Ky., Friday, July 29, 2022.
Photo: Timothy D. Easley (AP)
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Left Homeless

Left Homeless

Homes are flooded by Lost Creek, Ky., on Thursday, July 28, 2022.
Homes are flooded by Lost Creek, Ky., on Thursday, July 28, 2022.
Photo: Ryan C. Hermens/Lexington Herald-Leader (AP)
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Downtown Jackson, Kentucky

Downtown Jackson, Kentucky

Flooding in downtown Jackson, Kentucky on July 29, 2022 in Breathitt County, Kentucky.
Flooding in downtown Jackson, Kentucky on July 29, 2022 in Breathitt County, Kentucky.
Photo: Michael Swensen (Getty Images)
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School Buses Devastated

School Buses Devastated

A Perry County school bus, along with other debris, sits in a creek near Jackson, Kentucky, on July 31, 2022.
A Perry County school bus, along with other debris, sits in a creek near Jackson, Kentucky, on July 31, 2022.
Photo: Seth Herald / AFP (Getty Images)
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People Find Shelter

People Find Shelter

Zachary Stivers, 11, of Lost Creek, Kentucky, rests on a cot in the  Hazard Community & Technical College, where survivors of the major  flooding in Eastern Kentucky are being taken for shelter on July 28,  2022 in Breathitt County, Kentucky.
Zachary Stivers, 11, of Lost Creek, Kentucky, rests on a cot in the Hazard Community & Technical College, where survivors of the major flooding in Eastern Kentucky are being taken for shelter on July 28, 2022 in Breathitt County, Kentucky.
Photo: Michael Swensen (Getty Images)
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