Several counties and cities in eastern and central Kentucky declared states of emergencies after remnants of Hurricane Helene — now considered a post-tropical cyclone by the National Hurricane Center — pounded the region with heavy rain and winds Friday.
After making landfall in northwest Florida’s Big Bend region Thursday night as a category four storm, Hurricane Helene’s remnants migrated into Kentucky, wreaking fallen trees, downed electrical lines and widespread power outages.
Gov. Andy Beshear announced on social media that the following counties declared states of emergencies Friday:
- Boyd County
- Breathitt County
- Clark County
- Clay County
- Lee County
- Letcher County
- Magoffin County
- Wolfe County
Gov. Andy Beshear said the following cities declared states of emergencies Friday:
- Ashland
- Catlettsburg
- Clay City
- Winchester
Power outages impacted roughly 221,000 households across the state Friday, Beshear said.
Alex Vorst, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service Office Jackson, Kentucky, which oversees forecasting for many of the areas that sustained the worst damage, said fallen trees and powerlines were the primary sources of damage. Wind gusts above 40 mph and the damp ground caused by steady rain created conditions for trees and poles to topple over, he said.