The cost of a devastating spring storm system that inundated neighborhoods with floodwaters, spawned twisters and left at least 21 people dead over the last week has been estimated at as much as $90 billion.
The preliminary estimate includes total damage and estimated loss, including past and additional impacts from the rare atmospheric river event. River flooding is expected to continue in the central and southern U.S. this week.
“A rare atmospheric river continually resupplying a firehose of deep tropical moisture into the central U.S., combined with a series of storms traversing the same area in rapid succession, created a ‘perfect storm’ for catastrophic flooding and devastating tornadoes,” AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jonathan Porter said.
“We’re heartbroken by the loss of life and destruction from this once-in-a-generation storm. Houses and businesses were destroyed by tornadoes. Homes and vehicles were swept away by fast-moving floodwaters. Bridges and roadways were washed out or destroyed in some areas. Travel, commerce and business operations were significantly disrupted,” he noted. “It will take years for some of the hardest-hit communities to recover.”
There have been nearly 90 reports of tornadoes since April’s start, with three preliminarily rated as EF3 — the third strongest on the scale of tornado damage — or stronger in Arkansas, Missouri and Tennessee.
AccuWeather meteorologists say the rounds of downpours dumped between eight and 16 inches of rainfall in many areas, and up to 20 inches in some communities. Parts of Missouri got nearly 10 inches, and western Kentucky saw nearly 16 inches, according to forecasters in Kentucky.
In northern Kentucky, areas of the capital city of Frankfort had all but disappeared, with roofs and tree tops punctuating the flood community.
“I think everybody was shocked at how quick (the river) actually did come up,” salon owner Jessica Tuggle told The Associated Press.
The Kentucky River, which runs through the heart of the 28,000-person city, crested dangerously close to breaching its flood wall. Officials there expect it to remain at “major flood stage” over the coming days following the “almost historic river event.”
“Overnight the river — it looks like it — crested. Water is receding a little bit,” Mayor Layne Wilkerson said in a video on Monday. “But, we want to make sure of that first and we’re evaluating the situation.”
“We want to make sure that it is safe for people to go back into their homes, and we’re doing an assessment right now of the flood wall to make sure that everything intact there. We have no reason to think that it’s not intact, but we just want to make sure,” he continued.
A curfew put in place on Sunday was extended through Tuesday morning “in the interest of public safety.” The Frankfort Police Department warned that “significant dangers remain” in flood-affected zones. Residents were also told to conserve water because the city was using reserve tanks, according to WDRB. Shelters had room, according to Wilkerson, and cots were set up at Franklin County high School.
One of the two individuals who died in Kentucky was identified as Gabriel Andrews: 9-year-old boy who was swept away while trying to catch a school bus in Frankfort. The second was a 74-year-old woman who was trapped in her vehicle in Nelson County. She has not been identified. In total, 21 people have died in the storm, including 10 in Tennessee, according to FOX 13.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said Monday that the search was ongoing for an unidentified individual in McCracken County.
“Four days of severe storms have brought devastation to so many communities across our commonwealth,” he told reporters. “We’ve had search and rescue teams working around the clock to support these communities…”
“Remember, this event is not over until the waters have receded, until the areas that have flooded are fully dry, until we don’t have saturated ground that could create mudslides over roads and bridges,” the governor advised.
While the deluge had shifted east on Monday, temperatures were expected to plummet and a freeze warning was in effect for Monday evening.
“Another freeze may occur tomorrow night,” the National Weather Service in Louisville said.
AccuWeather noted that similar events are becoming more frequent due to climate change. Climate change is also making rainstorms more intense, according to a recent analysis from the nonprofit group Climate Central.
“AccuWeather experts estimate that extreme weather and natural disasters in the United States so far this year have caused a staggering $344 billion to $382 billion in total damage and economic loss. Hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, flooding and other extreme weather events caused more than $500 billion in total damage and economic loss across the U.S. last year, according to AccuWeather estimates,” Porter said.
“There is no doubt that the frequency and severity of extreme weather in America is escalating. More people, businesses and communities are feeling the direct impacts, which are being fueled by a warming climate,” he noted.
With reporting from The Associated Press
