BY ANNIE HOLLER
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
Deaths linked to Winter Storm Fern in Kentucky rose to 16 on Monday after Gov. Andy Beshear announced the death of a 75-year-old woman from Adair County.
Beshear said hypothermia contributed to several of the deaths reported over the past 10 days.
The governor first reported a storm-related death Jan. 26, initially attributing it to hypothermia. Family members later told multiple media outlets that the 72-year-old Whitley County woman, who had dementia, wandered from her home Jan. 25 while a family member briefly left to pick up lunch. Searchers found her about an hour later near a railroad track, alive but suffering head injuries. She died a short time later at a medical center.
In another case, an inmate at the Eastern Kentucky Correctional Complex in West Liberty died Jan. 26 after falling while shoveling ice and snow debris. The inmate suffered fatal head injuries. The family, identifying the man as Marvin Knuckle, demanded answers. Beshear called for a full investigation after family members questioned why inmates worked at 1 a.m. on a cliff outside the prison without safety gear, harnesses or railings, where the fall measured about 40 feet.
Three deaths occurred in Johnson County. According to the Paintsville Herald, a 71-year-old man died after falling while walking between apartments to check on a friend. Another 71-year-old man died when his off-road vehicle left the roadway and pinned him. In the third case, an individual suffered a cardiac event while weather conditions delayed emergency responders.
Other weather-related deaths occurred in Owen, Daviess, Pulaski, Fayette, Livingston, Graves and Jefferson counties.
To assist the affected families, Beshear said the Team Kentucky Emergency Relief Fund will provide each with $10,000 for funeral and burial expenses.
Martin County reported no serious injuries, according to 911 Director Nick Endicott.
“We were blessed not to have had a high ice accumulation in our area like other parts of the state experienced,” Endicott said. He reported that a fallen tree caused brief power outages affecting a few hundred residents.
The Warfield Volunteer Fire Department operated a warming center, where one person stayed overnight, said EMT and department member Joshua Hunt. County officials, including Emergency Services Director Clyde Adams and Sheriff John Kirk, ensured supplies, food and transportation were available.
Firefighters delivered water to one family and transported another individual to a relative’s home.
The county’s other three warming centers did not host overnight guests.
“We sure appreciate everyone who stepped up,” Hunt said.
The National Weather Service forecast calls for continued cold conditions through the latter half of the week, with highs in the upper 20s to lower 30s and overnight lows in the teens. A 30% chance of snow is expected Wednesday afternoon, with rain and snow likely Friday. Colder air returns this weekend before a gradual warmup early next week.
