Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear has declared a state of emergency after flooding that left two people dead and six people missing.

Severe storms raged through the state dumping inches of rain in just hours over parts of the state already saturated from previous storms.  The flash flooding swept through rural areas, washing away mobile homes and vehicles.

Among the missing is a man being hailed as a hero for saving his father, uncle and sister.  Scott Johnson went back after saving the first three from the flood waters to get his grandmother and a teenage nephew.  He jammed his nephew into a tree before the flood water swept him away along with his grandmother.

The grandmother’s body was found Tuesday.  Johnson is still missing.

“It just wears your legs out to walk,” said Gary McClure, the local emergency management director. “You walk from here to there in that mud and you’re ready to sit down. It just pulls you down.”

The other confirmed death was a 65-year-old man whose SUV was being swept away by flood waters and he tried to exit the vehicle to escape.

Police say that the search area for the missing stretches more than 8 miles through rugged Appalachian Mountains terrain east of Lexington.  Over 500 homes and 1,200 residents live in the area.

The National Guard has been called into the area to help with search and rescue efforts.

The forecast for the region is calling for more rain which officials say has “nowhere to go but roads, homes and yards.”