Gov. Andy Beshear announces 39th flooding death, identity released

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WYMT) - Thursday afternoon, Governor Andy Beshear announced the Eastern Kentucky flooding death toll is officially 39.

He said an additional death is now being counted in Breathitt County.

“I ask the commonwealth to join me in praying for our fellow Kentuckians during this difficult time,” said the Governor in a tweet.

The victim was Tony Calhoun, a 52-year-old writer, actor and film producer.

In the past, Calhoun worked on a music video with the band Halfway to Hazard. In the video, he played a famous Eastern Kentucky outlaw, Bad Tom Smith.

The band shared a Facebook post about Calhoun on Tuesday.

We have more tough news out of Eastern Kentucky. The official death toll from the flooding has now risen to 39, with an additional loss being counted in Breathitt County. I ask the commonwealth to join me in praying for our fellow Kentuckians during this difficult time. ^AB
— Governor Andy Beshear (@GovAndyBeshear) August 11, 2022

On Thursday, the Governor also held his weekly Team Kentucky update.

He spoke about the response to the flooding in Eastern Kentucky and other developments in the Commonwealth.

The Governor said more than 1,300 rescues have been completed in response to the catastrophic flooding.

You can watch a livestream of his conference below.

Copyright 2022 WYMT. All rights reserved.