JACKSON, Ky.—Torrential rains unleashed devastating floods in Appalachia on Thursday, as fast-rising water killed at least eight people in Kentucky and sent people scurrying to rooftops to be rescued. Water gushed from hillsides and flooded out of streambeds, inundating homes, businesses, and roads throughout eastern Kentucky. Parts of western Virginia and southern West Virginia also…

Rescue workers plucked people off rooftops amid fast-rising water Thursday in central Appalachia, where torrential rains unleashed what Kentucky’s governor described as some of the worst flooding in the state’s history. One emergency official in hard-hit eastern Kentucky described the situation as “catastrophic” as water rescue crews searched for stranded people. Gov. Andy Beshear said…