As the rain let up, communities — seeing some of their worst floods in a century — began rescuing people, surveying damage and counting the dead.

A 9-year-old boy in Kentucky was swept away by flood waters on Friday, one of at least 16 people to die in a series of dramatic storms that continue to pummel the US. High winds and heavy rain continued to batter states including Arkansas, Tennessee and Kentucky on Saturday, delaying recovery efforts.