"It's going to take years to rebuild. People left with absolutely nothing," said Gov. Andy Beshear, as recovery begins. "And we continue to find bodies of our brothers and sisters that we have lost."
Kentucky's governor said the numbers would likely rise significantly and it could take weeks to find all the victims. Torrential rains swamped towns across Appalachia earlier this week.
Major floods have devastated Eastern Kentucky and parts of Virginia and West Virginia. The death toll continues to climb as search and rescue teams cover the affected areas.
Police took 49-year-old Lance Storz into custody late Thursday night after an hourslong standoff at a home in Allen, a small town in the hills of Appalachia.
Even without a Supreme Court ruling, a new Kentucky law shut down abortions for several days before a federal court stepped in. Abortion rights groups fear it's just the beginning.
In a victory for abortion rights advocates, the judge blocked a law that effectively eliminated abortions in Kentucky after the state's two remaining clinics said they couldn't meet its requirements.
For Kentucky students wanting to participate in sports, their sex would be determined by the sex printed on their birth certificate and an affidavit from a doctor ascertaining that information.