Two dead in Kentucky flash flooding

LEXINGTON, Ky., July 19 (UPI) -- A flash flood in Kentucky left at least two dead, hundreds of homes damaged, more than 10,000 without water and roads and bridges washed out, authorities said.

Four to 7 inches of rain fell in the state's Pike County from 4 p.m. Saturday until 1 a.m. Sunday, the National Weather Service said. Gov. Steve Beshear declared a state of emergency in the county, the Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader reported.

"It's awful," Pike County Judge-Executive Wayne T. Rutherford said, noting the county will likely meet the criteria for a federal disaster declaration. "I've never seen anything like it in all my years of public service. It's a disaster if I've ever seen one."

Brick houses were washed off foundations, double-wide trailers floated down roads, and people were rescued from trees and the rooftops of their homes and vehicles, Rutherford said.

"This looks like we've had a tornado instead of a flood," Rutherford said.

Craig Morris of a Knott County died after falling off a bridge while leaning over the side to check on a family member's home, and a Danna Walters of Pikeville, Ky., was swept away by Chloe Creek Saturday night and was found about 2 miles away, the Herald-Leader reported.