NASHVILLE — Rivers rose and flooding worsened Sunday across the South and Midwest, threatening communities already waterlogged and badly damaged by days of heavy rain and wind that killed at least 18 people.

From Texas to Ohio, utilities scrambled to shut off power and gas while cities closed roads and deployed sandbags to protect homes and businesses.

In Kentucky, downtown Frankfort, the state’s capital, was inundated.

“As long as I’ve been alive — and I’m 52 — this is the worst I’ve ever seen it,” said Wendy Quire, the general manager at the Brown Barrel restaurant.

As the Kentucky River kept rising Sunday, officials closed roads and turned off power and gas to businesses in the city, Quire said.

“The rain just won’t stop. It’s been nonstop for days and days,” she said.

Forecasters warned that flooding could persist for days, as torrential rains lingered over many states, including Kentucky, Tennessee and Alabama. Tornadoes are possible in Alabama, Georgia and Florida, they said.

The 18 reported deaths since the start of the storms Wednesday included 10 in Tennessee. A 9-year-old boy in Kentucky was caught up in floodwaters while walking to catch his school bus. A 5-year-old boy in Arkansas died after a tree fell on his family’s home and trapped him, police said. A 16-year-old volunteer Missouri firefighter died in a crash while seeking to rescue people caught in the storm.

Dozens of locations in multiple states were expected to reach a “major flood stage,” the National Weather Service said Sunday, with extensive flooding of roads, bridges, structures and other critical infrastructure possible.

There were 521 domestic and international flights canceled in the U.S. and more than 6,400 delayed Saturday, according to FlightAware.com, which reported 74 cancellations and 478 delays of U.S. flights early Sunday.

The storms come after the Trump administration cut jobs at NWS forecast offices, leaving half of them with vacancy rates of 20%, or double the level of a decade ago.

Officials warned of flash flooding and tornadoes Saturday across Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee and Kentucky. All of eastern Kentucky was under a flood watch through Sunday morning.

In north-central Kentucky, emergency officials ordered a mandatory evacuation for Falmouth and Butler, towns near the bend of the rising Licking River. .

As of early Sunday, Memphis had received 14 inches of rain since Wednesday, the NWS said..

Forecasters attributed the violent weather to high temperatures, an unstable atmosphere, strong winds and abundant moisture streaming from the Gulf.

In Dyersburg, Tennessee, dozens of people arrived Saturday at a storm shelter in the rain, clutching necessities. Among them was George Manns, 77, who said he was in his apartment when he heard a tornado warning and decided to head to the shelter. Days earlier, the city was hit by a tornado that caused millions in damage.