LEXINGTON, Ky.— A swath of great winds and heavy rainfall pummeled much of Kentucky over the Memorial Day weekend causing power outages, large destruction, inaccessible roads and claiming four lives.
At least 21 people have died as a result of the defending weather system that churned eastward on Sunday through Texas to West Virginia.
The worst of the harsh storms was avoided in Lexington and much of Central Kentucky. Residents of this area missed much of the devastation seen in the commonwealth, despite there being some energy outages, broken branches, and pounding rain.
” Last night, many families and communities were not safe”, Gov. Andy Beshear said at his Memorial Day news event. ” We had devastating hurricanes that struck nearly the entire state.”
Among the dying: A 67- yr- aged woman in Mercer County, a woman in Hardin County who was 62, a 48- year- aged woman in Hopkins County, and a 34- year- older man in Jefferson County. Beshear did not give out their identities.
A 67-year-old woman was killed in bed when a branch fell on a home, according to Mercer County Coroner David Ransdell, who said the dying occurred when the trees fell on the home. Ransdell pronounced the girl dead at the scene at 1: 15 a. m. Monday.
The victim’s husband was with her. According to a discharge from Brad Cox, the state emergency director, he was injured and taken to the hospital, but his wounds were not life-threatening.
Mayor of Louisville Craig Greenberg made the death announcement Sunday evening. On the social media platform X, Greenberg wrote,” Louisville, I’m sad to report we’ve had one accident after the extreme weather that just moved through the region and some structural injury reported.”
” May their memory be a blessing, may I meet you in holding this family in our thoughts and prayers during this difficult day.”
A man was struck by a branch on Hobbs Station Road near Anchorage on Sunday afternoon, killing him in Louisville. He was pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said.
On Monday, Beshear said there were no wind patients unaccounted for to his information.
As crews worked to remove fallen branches that had been hit by high winds and had fallen onto energy lines in the position on Monday morning, more than 174, 000 people were still without power. Additionally, volunteers were removing dust that was obstructing roads.
Four care homes in Western Kentucky were using generators, and many Kentucky State Police content ‘ phone lines were hacked, making it necessary to use backup numbers. State officers had set up alternative phone numbers for use by residents.
Beshear claimed that the tornadoes created some hurricanes, including one that was left on the ground in Western Kentucky for about 40 kilometers. The condition was waiting for the National Weather Service to confirm how many storms impacted the state.
The Washington Post reported Monday evening a “dire storm emergency”, effectively, the highest- level tornado warning the National Weather Service is challenge, was issued in Kentucky’s Caldwell, Hopkins and Lyons counties.
Beshear claimed the long-track tornado only passed past Dawson Springs, another city that was severely damaged in December 2021, and Mayfield, the Graves County seat that was ravaged by tornadoes in December 2021.
Beshear claimed that at least one family’s home was destroyed by tornadoes in 2021 had experienced home loss as a result of weekend storms.
Charleston, which is near Dawson Springs, was among those hit hardest by the weekend severe weather, Beshear said. To enter and check on people, rescuers had to travel miles through trees to cross.
Eric Gibson, head of Kentucky Emergency Management, said it would take several days to get a full accounting of the damage. ” We do have Kentuckians across the state who are suffering”, Gibson said.
In addition to a statewide emergency Beshear declared, he said 14 counties and five cities had declared emergencies. The Kentucky National Guard was activated as a result of Beshear’s declaration, which sent personnel out to help remove debris from hard-hit areas.
According to USA TODAY, 700 line workers and related personnel will enter the state to assist in the restoration of power. In addition to the deaths, there were reports of injuries. Beshear mentioned a person who was in critical condition, despite the fact that the official did not provide a count.
A non-life threatening injury was reported to the National Weather Service’s Oklahoma storm prediction center when a tree fell on a shelter in Clay County. Beshear claimed that a girl who was riding her bike escaped injury when a tree fell on her as she was riding her bike.
” There’s a bit of a hand of God in that story”, the governor said.
He claimed that the severe weather caused a fuel spill and a dock at Dale Hollow Lake in Southern Kentucky to loosen.
At least six people were staying at a shelter that the Red Cross had opened in Clay County. Additionally, Beshear said, people who have been displaced by the storms will be able to use the rooms at Pennyrile State Resort Park.
A report that a tree had struck an apartment building in Manchester, leading to the evacuation of the building, was reported to the National Weather Service.
Beshear claimed that when state police posts experienced phone loss as a result of storm damage, 911 calls moved to other agencies. He said he did n’t think the outages hurt emergency response.
The Storm Prediction Center’s reports indicated how much damage was being done in Kentucky. As severe weather moved from west to east throughout the day on Sunday, the center posted a running list of preliminary reports.
The list included incidents in more than 50 counties, stretching from the Mississippi River to far Eastern Kentucky.
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