FRANKFORT, Kentucky: Heavy rain over several days caused rivers to overflow across Kentucky, flooding homes and threatening a famous bourbon distillery in the state capital, Frankfort.

These floods are part of a series of storms that have killed at least 23 people since last week. The storms brought strong winds, heavy rain, and over 150 tornadoes in just one week starting March 30, according to early reports from the National Weather Service.

Although the storms have passed, the danger from flooding continues in other states like Tennessee, Arkansas, and Indiana. Cities ordered evacuations, and rescue teams used boats to check on people. Utilities shut off power and gas in areas from Texas to Ohio. In Frankfort, floodwaters closed the historic Buffalo Trace Distillery.

Jessica Tuggle, who owns a salon in Frankfort, watched water approach her shop. She moved her equipment to a nearby bar for safety. She said everyone was hoping for the rain to stop so they could understand how bad it might get.

Officials in Frankfort closed roads, turned off utilities, and set a curfew as the river approached its record level. Governor Andy Beshear said over 500 roads in Kentucky were still closed.

Ashley Welsh, her husband, children, and pets had to flee their Frankfort home. She later saw on camera that water had reached the second floor. "Our life is up there," she said, heartbroken.

The 23 deaths reported include 10 in Tennessee. In Kentucky, four people died, including a 9-year-old boy who was swept away by floodwaters while trying to get to his school bus. A 5-year-old in Arkansas was killed when a tree fell on his house. A man drowned in a submerged car, and a teenage firefighter died in a crash while trying to help others. A utility worker in Tennessee also died during the storm, and in Georgia, a father and son were killed when a tree fell on them at a golf course.

The Kentucky River rose to nearly its highest level ever recorded, just missing the 1978 record. Over 1,000 people in Kentucky had no water, and 3,000 were told to boil their water before drinking it. In Harrodsburg, flooding forced the city to stop pumping water, though it was fixed by the evening of April 7.

John and Phyllis Sower, who live near the river in Frankfort, had four feet of water in their cellar. A neighbor brought them flowers through the floodwaters. "We are an island in the Kentucky River," Phyllis said.

In Arkansas, Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders called the damage in the town of Hardy "heartbreaking." In West Memphis, rescue teams saved over 100 people. In Tennessee, Michael Glass and his family had to evacuate their home when floodwaters reached their front door.

One tornado in McNairy County, Tennessee, destroyed over 100 buildings with winds up to 160 mph. Five people died in that county alone.

Even though the heaviest rain is over, rivers will remain high for several days. Smaller streams may go down soon. The storms were caused by warm air, strong winds, and moisture coming from the Gulf of Mexico.

On April 5, Jonesboro, Arkansas, received 5 inches of rain—the most ever recorded there in April. Memphis received 14 inches between April 2 and 6. In Kentucky, some areas received as much as 16 inches of rain in five days.

Experts also said that cuts to National Weather Service jobs in recent years have left many forecast offices understaffed, which may affect how fast and well they can respond to extreme weather.