Which touched off what the governor said was “one of the worst, most devastating flooding events” in state history. High waters and strong currents were making it difficult to rescue people, he said. So far, Governor Beshear said, about 30 people have been airlifted to safety.

 Hours earlier, the governor told state residents to prepare for loss of life as a result of flooding that inundated homes and turned roads and highways into rushing rivers.

The governor told Kentucky residents in a Thursday morning news conference that they should brace themselves for more deaths as rescue efforts continued.