5 dead from severe storms in Kentuck; NWS says tornado hit near Meade-Hardin County line
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) – Crews are still at work clearing debris and getting power restored for thousands of residents after severe weather hit many communities throughout Kentucky.
There were five deaths from the storms on Sunday and a man from Hopkins County is currently being treated for serious injuries.
“Sadly we can confirm that we have lost at least four Kentuckians from last night’s storm,” Gov. Beshear said. “At one point, we believed it was five, and we have four confirmed deaths and one individual fighting for their life, so please pray for that individual as his circumstances appear very difficult and dire.”
One of the victims from the severe weather was someone from Louisville.
“The confirmed fatalities include a 67-year-old woman in Mercer County, a 62-year-old woman in Hardin County, a 48-year-old woman in Hopkins County, and a 34-year-old man in Jefferson County,” Gov. Beshear said.
“A 54-year-old man died from a heart attack while cutting fallen trees in Caldwell County,” the post said. “His loved ones are in our prayers during this difficult time.”
The names of the victims are not publicly known at this time.
Louisville Gas & Electric crews are expected to be working for days to get the lights back on for customers. There were more than 70,000 LG&E customers still without power as of Monday shortly after 12 p.m.
Kentuckians are encouraged by officials to report any downed trees or power lines on the roadways. Kentucky Transportation Cabinet workers are still responding to reports of storm debris.
“Crews mobilized yesterday and worked through the day and overnight to help clear roads of trees on state-maintained routes and to support first responder and utility restoration efforts,” KYTC Secretary Jim Gray said. “Clearing roadways could take time, especially if it requires clearing downed power lines first. Our Team Kentucky crews are dedicated to keeping travelers safe. Please watch out for them on the roads, drive alert and slow down.”
There have been reports of Kentucky State Police post dispatch centers experiencing outages. Anyone who needs assistance can call Kentucky Emergency Management.
The number I wanted to make sure that I shared with you is to our 24-hour watch center that is staffed around the clock here, and this number is not only good when we are in the middle of a storm but if there’s something that you need that you think that Kentucky Emergency Management can provide, we keep staff here 24-7,” KYEM Director Eric Gibson said. “1-800-255-2587 – that will be something you want to use if you’re having trouble making contact with your KSP post or local emergency management, as we know they are extremely busy right now.”
It was confirmed by the National Weather Service that an EF-1 tornado touched down near the line between Meade County and Hardin County.
State officials said they’re aware of at least a few tornadoes that touched down, and one was confirmed in Hopkins County, but they’re waiting for confirmation from NWS.
