By Tony McVeigh
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wuky/local-wuky-837218.mp3
Frankfort, KY – Governor Beshear says at least 18 Kentucky counties have declared states of emergency and he's preparing to file the paperwork for a federal disaster declaration. "We'll probably amend it two or three times to add counties as we get their assessments in. But we want to get it into the President's hand and get this on the move so that we can open up those federal spigots for some money to come back in here and help us with this clean-up effort that we're going to be going through now for several weeks."
Three deaths have been blamed on storms that ripped through central and eastern Kentucky over the weekend. Hundreds of homes have been destroyed and flooding continues to pose major problems in eastern Kentucky. Governor Beshear toured storm-damaged areas on Tuesday.