Kentucky woman, 97, pictured sitting in devastation of her flooded home dies ‘of a broken heart’

A 97-year-old Kentucky woman has died “of a broken heart” just three months after a photo of her ruined seat in her flood-ravaged home hit the internet.

Mae Amburgey died Saturday, three months after the photo of her sitting on her nearly sunken bed at her Whitesburg home was widely shared online, her granddaughter Missy Amburgey Crovetti announced.

Amburgey was rescued from her Whitesburg home along with three others when Kentucky was hit by historic flash flooding that wiped out homes and cars.

Harrowing video footage from the time showed her being brought to safety through deep, filthy brown water — but sadly, the pain of the flood ordeal proved too much for Amburgey to bear.

The 97-year-old’s home was beyond repair, and Amburgey plunged into despair that ultimately took her life, Crovetti said.

“I feel like she died of a broken heart,” Crovetti wrote on a GoFund page originally intended to help her grandmother recover from the flood. “While our hearts are completely broken, we are also relieved that she is no longer in pain. ‘

Amburgey’s home (pictured above) was destroyed after being almost completely submerged in raging floods in July

Elderly woman’s family helps to save her belongings preserved during the flood

Several items were left on the floor as the family tried to sort what could be saved

Amburgey’s college diploma was recovered by her granddaughter. It was partly covered in mud

Granddaughter Missy Amburgey Crovetti helped her 97-year-old grandmother restore her home after nearly everything was destroyed by the historic flood

Amburgey was rescued along with her son after they were trapped in their home.

Video footage showed the heroic moment when a Good Samaritan rescued Amburgey and her family by guiding them through the raging water with a float.

The 97-year-old had to swim to her safety until she reached the boats waiting to help. She was later hospitalized.

When she returned to her house, Amburgey realized that everything had been destroyed and drenched in water.

Granddaughter Crovetti, who said her grandmother was an “incredible force,” created a GoFundMe to help the elderly woman recover.

“Her house is a total mess and like so many in the area she may not have flood insurance,” Crovetti wrote at the time. “Any help would be greatly appreciated. She’s never lived outside of Ermine, Kentucky, and would love to stay at home.”

The fundraiser raised $16,597. It is not clear what the money will be used for.

The kitchen of Amburgey’s house was in ruins. The kitchen door on the side leading out was seen from its hinges

Windows in the house were almost broken and dirt covered the floor of a room

There were piles of mud on the floor by a damaged fireplace

Mud covered the floor along with random items

A cabinet was seen damaged with an iron on the top shelf

Piles of wood were left in one room, along with empty picture frames

The curtains on the window stayed as they leaned slightly from the rod

Three months after the catastrophic flooding, the death toll in Kentucky rose to 43 as two more people died from health complications and another is still missing, Governor Andy Beshear said at a news conference on Thursday.

Officials on Aug. 1 said they expected to find bodies weeks after the flooding, especially after the Kentucky National Guard conducted about 700 air rescues in a week and another 600 by boat.

Water levels in parts of the state, including the river near Whitesburg, rose 20 feet within hours as flash floods threatened the state in July.