State of emergency declared in Kentucky counties after Helene leads to severe storms

FRANKFORT, Ky. ( FOX 56 ) — Gov. Beshear said areas across Kentucky have declared a state of emergency on Friday as Helene storms move across the Commonwealth.

In a post on X around 2:40 p.m. Friday, Beshear said Breathitt, Clark, Lee, and Letcher counties and the city of Winchester have verbally declared the emergency.

“Our main impacts from the storms are downed trees, blocked roads, and significant power outages. High winds are expected to continue until midnight. Please use extreme caution on our roadways, especially as schools dismiss,” Beshear said on X.

By 5:30 p.m. Friday, Beshear said in a Facebook post that the state of emergency declarations include:

• Counties:
  • Boyd
  • Breathitt
  • Clark
  • Clay
  • Lee
  • Letcher
  • Magoffin
  • Wolfe
• Cities:
  • Ashland
  • Catlettsburg
  • Clay City
  • Winchester

“As a reminder, those in need of power for medical devices should contact local emergency management,” Beshear said Sunday morning in a Facebook post. “Thanks again to all of the utility workers working around the clock.”

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FOX 56 News is tracking the latest power outages here .

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