Gov. Beshear shares winter storm fatality rate, road clearing updates

Governor Andy Beshear announced that the number of fatalities connected to Winter Storm Fern has grown and shared road-clearing updates at Wednesday’s Winter Storm Update.

Beshear says the number of weather-related fatalities has risen to 10 and includes:

A 68-year-old man in Daviess County

A 79-year-old man in Graves County

A 55-year-old man in Jefferson County

A 64-year-old man in Johnson County

A 71-year-old man in Johnson County

A 71-year-old man in Johnson County

A 48-year-old man in Morgan County

A 78-year-old man in Owen County

A 62-year-old man in Pulaski County

A 72-year-old woman in Whitley County

In response to the fatalities, Beshear says funds from the Team Kentucky Emergency Relief Fund will be used to assist the victims’ families with funeral costs.

Beshear declared a State of Emergency ahead of Winter Storm Fern and says his office has submitted the first set of paperwork to FEMA to begin joint damage assessments. Beshear says he believes the damages will qualify for FEMA reimbursements and the storm will be declared a major disaster.

As temperatures remain well below freezing, Beshear says many areas are still struggling with ice-covered roads. To help clear up roads, he says Kentucky Transportation Cabinet crews have been authorized to start clearing non-state roads to support workers restoring power to areas that were heavily hit by the storm.

The cabinet also announced that road crews in neighboring counties will start assisting crews in Christian and Muhlenberg counties to get the roads cleared. According to the cabinet, a line of ice tracked across southern Christian County into Muhlenberg County during the winter storm, making road clearing more difficult.

Four road crews from neighboring counties are now in Christian County assisting with road clearance. Assistance from neighboring cabinet districts is also being discussed.