Steam bath weather adds to misery after Appalachian flooding

By BRUCE SCHREINER and BRYNN ANDERSON
Associated Press

HINDMAN, Ky. (AP) — Temperatures are soaring in a region of eastern Kentucky where people are shoveling out the wreckage of massive flooding. Many are working without electricity. The National Weather Service expects the heat and humidity to combine for a heat index of up to 100 by midday. Forecasters expect the steam bath to last through Thursday evening. Officials opened cooling centers for residents, and an advisory has been issued warning of the risk of heat-related illnesses across the flood-ravaged area. The death toll stands at 37. About 5,000 customers remain without power and hundreds of people are staying in emergency shelters.