Flood
© via TwitterSevere storms in Midwestern and Southern US have brought floods and tornadoes
The National Weather Service reports that heavy rains in Eastern Kentucky are expected to bring Kentucky River levels to flood stage by Saturday.

The Frankfort/Franklin County Office of Emergency Management reported that the river is expected to crest at about 31 feet Saturday, right at flood level. Residents who live along the river are asked to pay close attention to NWS and OEM updates.

The river rose 4 feet between 9:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. today causing the Kentucky River Campground off of U.S. 127 near Owenton to move its patrons from the lower lot to higher ground.

Road closures

A system of storms moving east across the state led to several road closures early Friday as creeks began to flood. According to the NWS, another round of storms will be heading into the area this afternoon, bringing another inch of rain.

According to Emergency Management Director Tom Russell, Avenstoke Road at Hickory Ridge, South Benson Road at Bittersweet and the bridge, Stillhouse Hollow Road and Crab Orchard Road were closed because of water ponding in the roadway.

The OEM later reopened South Benson about 2:40 p.m.

The Franklin County Sheriff's Office also posted several county roads to avoid because of standing water, including Old Lawrenceburg Road, Devils Hollow Road and Green Wilson Road.

Russell said in some areas of Benson Creek emergency management officials saw waves approaching 5 feet high. Water along Crab Orchard Road had reached nearby homes at noon.

Frankfort Mayor Bill May said so far the city has not experienced much flooding on roadways.

"We're going to try and figure out if anyone's home is in danger," May said.

Utility interruptions

Russell said the OEM has not heard of any utility problems caused by flooding.

Frankfort Plant Board Public Information Coordinator Glenn Waldrop said utility crews had to deal with several outages Thursday night, none of which lasted more than about 40 minutes.

"We had a few outages yesterday due to lightning," Waldrop said. "They weren't extreme, and they were spread throughout our service area."

He said crews were not aware of any reports of interruptions today.