Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear praised President Trump on Monday for his swift response to the devastating flooding in the Bluegrass State that tragically caused the deaths of at least a dozen people.

“I do want to thank Secretary Noem and the president, who have responded to all of our requests — turned around the declaration of emergency about as quickly as I’ve ever seen,” the Democratic governor told MSNBC.

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According to CNN, the destructive storms caused 12 deaths in Kentucky,

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Per CNN:

Rescues were ongoing Monday as water levels continued to rise on some waterways in Kentucky and other portions of the Ohio Valley and mid-Atlantic flooded by a deadly coast-to-coast winter storm.

The storm killed at least 14 people – one in severe winds in Georgia, one in West Virginia and 12 in Kentucky, which took on some of the worst of the devastating flooding in the region.

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Several others were missing amid “significant levels of flooding” in West Virginia, Gov. Patrick Morrisey said in a Monday morning news briefing.

More than a month’s worth of rain deluged much of Kentucky in less than 24 hours and set the deadly flooding into motion.

“We just got hit by one of the most significant natural disasters we’ve seen in our lifetime,” Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said at a Monday news conference.

Even though the rain had long since stopped the situation was still active Monday with waterways swollen, Beshear cautioned.

“There are individuals out there that still need help that are still getting in contact with us,” Beshear said after touring damage in hard-hit Pike County.

At least 237 people were evacuated by helicopter and boat from two apartment complexes in neighboring Martin County as water levels rose Monday, Beshear confirmed.

Emergency crews with the Kentucky National Guard and the Kentucky State Police performed more than 1,000 rescues since the flooding started Beshear said.

A “significant number” of the deaths in the state were from “people deciding to drive through standing or running water,” according to Beshear.

“Thank you, @potus, for approving my request for an emergency disaster declaration for Kentucky. Now federal funding is available to impacted areas, helping us better respond and support affected Kentuckians,” Beshear said Sunday.

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“I’ve got more tough news. The death toll in Kentucky has now risen to 12. We must remember, this isn’t just a number — these are Kentuckians who will be missed by their families and loved ones. Please pray for our commonwealth and our neighbors who have lost people they love,” he said Monday evening.

“This morning I sent a request for individual assistance due to the severe weather and impacts across our state to @potus, Homeland Security Secretary @KristiNoem, and the acting director of FEMA. This funding would provide for immediate needs and clean-up for those affected,” Beshear said Tuesday.

NBC News reports:

Another winter storm will hit the United States this week and will bring snow to Kentucky, after the state was hit with devastating flooding over the weekend that killed 12 and prompted over 1,000 rescues.

Winter alerts were in place for 34 million people from the central Plains to West Virginia on Monday.

This storm moved across the Rockies and began producing snow across the central Plains on Monday, and will bring moderate to heavy snow to Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Arkansas by Tuesday. A stripe of ice will also be possible from northern Texas into Arkansas.

The storm system will bring snow to Kentucky late Tuesday, and Tennessee and into Virginia and North Carolina on Wednesday. It’ll move off the coast by Thursday.

The storm will have two pockets of enhanced snowfall: the first across the central Plains and southern Missouri, where 6 to 12 inches could fall, and the second across southeastern Virginia and northern North Carolina.

Last week, a flood watch warning was issued for much of Kentucky early Thursday, followed by heavy rains and flooding over the weekend that prompted evacuations, submerged neighborhoods, triggered mud and rockslides, forced water rescues and knocked out power and water.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said at a storm briefing Monday that the weekend’s heavy rain and floods had affected the entire the state, calling it “one of the most challenging weather events we have faced.”

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