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Death toll from May storms increases to 20 in Kentucky

Karyn Czar
/
WUKY

The death toll from Kentucky's mid-May storms has risen. The news came just shortly after Gov. Andy Beshear announced new efforts to boost grid resiliency in face of increasingly severe weather.

In a social media post late Thursday, Beshear said the death toll from the May 16 outbreak of severe weather now stands at 20 with the passing of a man from McCracken County.

Beshear asked the state to join in prayer "for the man's family and all those affected."

Most of the storm's victims were in Laurel County with one in Pulaski and another in Russell.

The announcement came after the governor's weekly Team Kentucky update, which touched on the punishing rounds of weather the state has witnessed.

"Since I've been governor, we've now had 15 federally declared natural disasters in Kentucky," Beshear said. "We've lost far too many people, as well as homes and local businesses where our families felt safe. As we continue to rebuild, we have to to to become more resilient."

To that end, the governor announced a slate of $6 million in grants aimed at upgrading grid systems in Hopkinsville, Princeton, Owensboro, and Williamstown.