Pictures: At least 25 killed as historic flood disaster leaves towns underwater after deadly barrage of severe weather

( Fox )

A deadly barrage of severe weather, tornadoes and torrential rain has come to an end, but the danger is far from over in communities across the Midwest and South as angry rivers continue to rise, forcing families from their homes.

At least 25 people in seven states have been killed due to the severe weather, including deaths from tornadoes and extreme weather in Tennessee, Missouri, Indiana, Arkansas and Mississippi, and fatalities from flooding in Kentucky.

One of those monster tornadoes was captured live on FOX Weather on Wednesday, April 2, by FOX Weather Exclusive Storm Tracker Brandon Copic.

That tornado that touched down in northwestern Arkansas prompted forecasters to issue a rare Tornado Emergency as the supercell thunderstorm passed through communities such as Lake City and Blytheville.

President Donald Trump approved emergency disaster declarations for Arkansas, Tennessee and Kentucky, allowing the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to provide additional support for communities grappling with the scope of the historic disaster.

"I just want to stress that we do not want to lose another individual," Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said at a news conference on Monday. "Remember, this event is not over until the waters have receded. Until the areas that are flooded are fully dry. Until we don’t have saturated ground that could create mudslides over roads and bridges."

The National Guard, Kentucky State Police and other state and local leaders have been working tirelessly to keep people safe and have urged people to avoid travel if possible.

Beshear said on Monday that more than 500 roads across the state were closed due to historic flooding, mudslides and landslides.

The Buffalo Trace Distillery, located on the banks of the Kentucky River in Frankfort, was temporarily closed this week because of catastrophic flooding. Days of relentless downpours caused the Kentucky, Ohio and Mississippi rivers to surge out of their banks.

A dramatic drone video provided an overhead look at the muddy water surrounding America's oldest continuously operating distillery.

"We will be closed through Thursday, April 10th at a minimum," the distillery said on social media. "As this is a rapidly unfolding situation, visits may be impacted beyond that time, and we will continue to provide updates as they are available. Due to the unprecedented and ongoing rain and flooding, we are not able to advise on the impact to our total distillery footprint."

Another drone video showed a Kentucky highway underwater amid the historic flooding.

The video provided by the Hardin County Sheriff's Office showed a highway in Glendale submerged in the murky floodwater from the nearby Nolin River.

In the video, electrical lines stand in feet of water. As the camera pans, water sits across the highway, where the yellow dividing line fades into the abyss, and only the guardrails remain visible.

Tennessee flooding leads to mandatory evacuations

The historic flooding that has plagued communities in the Mississippi and Ohio valleys has led to mandatory evacuations in Tennessee.

Dyer County Mayor David Quick issued mandatory evacuation orders for Cocklebur and surrounding communities in Bogota due to the significant flooding impacts in the community.

The evacuation order was posted to Facebook and includes all residents east of Highway 78.

"We understand that this is a difficult situation, but your safety is paramount," Quick said. "Please take this order seriously and evacuate immediately."

The order also had a dire warning – those who don't comply with the evacuation order may not be able to receive help from first responders. In addition, residents may be held personally liable for any damage or injuries sustained.

The Tennessee National Guard has also been helping those impacted by flooding.

On Monday, soldiers from the 230th Engineer Battalion were on hand to assist the Emergency Management Agency in Obion County by delivering 240 cases of supplies to residents.

Meteorologist-in-Charge at the National Weather Service office in Memphis, Tennessee, Darone Jones, joined FOX Weather on Tuesday morning and said there’s still a lot of recovery ahead for waterlogged communities.

"For a lot of these communities, while we’ve had the severe weather over the last week, the rainfall that fell throughout the weekend is just now starting to impact a lot of areas through the mid-South," Jones said.

And while precipitation stopped falling, the flooding danger isn't over.

"It's very hard to contextualize this," Jones continued. "You know, you mentioned the 223 warnings. Just in comparison to last year, 2024, we issued 262 warnings for the entire year. So, we did all of that in like a four-day span."

Jones went on to say that the event is still unfolding.

"The worst is yet to come for a lot of areas," he said. So, you know, it's not over. So, it's hard to talk about the uniqueness from a historical perspective at this time."