Rescuers face renewed rain as Kentucky flood death toll hits 26

Rescuers in Kentucky are taking the search effort door-to-door in worsening weather conditions as they brace for a long and gruelling effort to locate victims of flooding that devastated the state's east, its governor said Sunday.

Some areas in the mountainous region are still inaccessible following flooding that turned roads into rivers, washed out bridges, swept away houses and killed at least 26 people. Poor cell phone service is also complicating rescue efforts.

"This is one of the most devastating, deadly floods that we have seen in our history... And at a time that we're trying to dig out, it's raining," Governor Andy Beshear said."

"We're going to work to go door to door, work to find, again, as many people as we can. We're even going to work through the rain. But the weather is complicating it," Beshear said.

The governor had earlier raised the death toll from the flooding, which was caused by torrential rain that began on Wednesday, to 26, tweeting that the number will rise further.

"We're going to be finding bodies for weeks, many of them swept hundreds of yards, maybe a quarter mile-plus from where they were lost," Beshear said on "Meet the Press."

In the town of Jackson, county seat of hard-hit Breathitt County, state, local and federal rescue teams and aid workers were gathering Sunday morning in a Walmart parking lot as they prepared to fan out.

Receding flood waters had left a thick coating of dust on the streets as an ominously dark cloud cover presaged more rain ahead.