Laurel County officials have declared a state of emergency in response to the shooting Saturday that left five people wounded and 12 cars riddled with bullet holes.

The county-level state of emergency allows the local government to "pull from the state and federal level" for items needed in the search, Judge Executive David Westerfield told FOX 56. It went into effect Monday at 8 a.m. and will stay in place until the incident is over, at which time they'll end the declaration, Westerfield said.

The shooting, which occurred on Interstate-75 about eight miles north of London, has led to a search effort pulling from a swarm of local, state and federal resources as investigators work to hunt down 32-year-old suspect Joseph Couch. Officials believe Couch fled into the wooded area near Exit 49 and is hiding in a swath of the rugged Daniel Boone National Forest.

Technologies like drones and helicopters have been deployed in the search, and more than a dozen law enforcement agencies are involved.

According to state law, declaring a local state of emergency allows officials to access the goods and services necessary to protect public safety and health without regard to "procurement codes or budget requirements." It also allows local officials to work with the state governor to request emergency assistance from state agencies and to "initiate requests for federal assistance" to protect public health and safety.

Tuesday, the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service closed all traffic on several miles of the Sheltowee Trace National Recreation Trail in response to the search for Couch. The trail is closed between US-421 and KY-192.

Investigators plan to continue the search until they find Couch, Kentucky State Police Trooper Scottie Pennington said.