Mom remembers 9-year-old son who died in Kentucky floodwaters

(FRANKFORT, Ky.) — The mother of a 9-year-old boy is speaking out after he was swept away and killed by floodwaters in Kentucky during the four days of historic storms that pounded the region.

Gabriel Andrews was swept away by the floodwaters on Friday morning while walking to his school bus stop in hard-hit Frankfort, according to the Franklin County Coroner’s Office.

Gabriel, who enjoyed basketball and football, “had the most beautiful smile” and “loved everyone he came in contact with,” his mother, Racheal Andrews, told ABC News.

“I’m overwhelmed with the love that the community had for my son,” she added.

The four days of deadly storms began on Wednesday, devastating the central U.S. with catastrophic flooding and destructive tornadoes. Twenty-three people have died, with the fatalities spanning Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri, Georgia, Arkansas, Mississippi and Indiana.

Franklin County, Kentucky, was hit especially hard by the life-threatening rain, and Racheal Andrews said she is “devastated” that in-person school wasn’t canceled on Friday.

“There never should have been school that day,” she said.

The Franklin County School District is on spring break this week and superintendent Mark Kopp did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment on Monday.

But Kopp commented on Gabriel’s death on Friday, saying in a statement, “We are deeply saddened at this horrific tragedy.”

“We are more than a school system, we are a family at Franklin County Schools, and we share this loss together. At this time, we are working with support staff at our schools and offering services to our students, faculty, and staff who need assistance,” Kopp said. “We are eternally grateful for our community first responders from both city and county agencies who selflessly responded to assist in this situation.”