LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- More 7,000 homes are without power in Jefferson County after severe storms rolled through the area Friday night into Saturday morning.
As a high wind warning was issued for Kentuckiana until 4 p.m. Saturday, an estimated 7,210 LG&E/KU customers in Jefferson County had no power as of 4:10 p.m. That's less than the nearly 11,000 reported just after 11 a.m. Saturday.
Lawrence, Jackson, and Jennings counties also added to the High Wind Warning to now include all of our area through 4PM. Wind Advisory also still in effect until 5PM. You can read more about it here... https://t.co/W4vi6GhzXt pic.twitter.com/Jqcrm7oJf8
— Bryce Jones (@BryceJonesWx) April 1, 2023
LG&E said Friday that it didn't anticipate any power outages to reach the level they did during the March 3 winds that came through the area, knocking power out for thousands for several days.
The utility company has 40 crew centers on standby to handle outages from Friday's storms. A spokesperson said they will focus on the western and central parts of Kentucky first. They also said loose branches from the rough weather in early March could have caused outages on Friday and Saturday.
"A lot of times you have some other loose limbs that haven't come down yet," said LG&E Spokesperson Natasha Collins. "So if we see some strong wind gusts, there's potential for those branches to come down, to fall on power lines and impact service."
Counties in southern Indiana were also under the high wind warning, where Duke Energy is taking similar precautions. As of 4 p.m. Saturday, 104 customers were without power in Scott County, 195 in Floyd County, 66 in Clark County and 4 in Harrison County.
The storms, with heavy rain and high winds, rolled through Kentuckiana between 11 p.m. Friday and 2 a.m. Saturday. While a portion of the area dodged the worst of the storms, Whiteland, Indiana, about 30 minutes south of Indianapolis, was in the direct line of a possible tornado.
A tornado warning was issued there around 11:30 p.m. Friday. Communities saw severe and significant damage, and there were reports of multiple businesses and homes leveled, that left people trapped. Whiteland Police posted on Twitter around 3 a.m. Saturday that everyone was safe and accounted for. Whiteland High School and Greenwood Middle School have since opened up as shelters.
Damage was also reported in Bloomington, Indiana, where campers had to be evacuated from McCormick's Creek State Park. No serious injuries were reported. Just west of Bloomington, things turned deadly in Sullivan County, Indiana, about 30 minutes south of Terre Haute, where at least three people died.
“Homes in both the city and county are severely damaged and some are completely leveled,” Sullivan County Sheriff Jason Bobbitt posted on social media. “Our worst fears became a reality earlier when we learned that members of our community have lost their lives.”
The sheriff also said crews are keeping an eye on multiple gas leaks and dangerous power lines.
To look at LG&E/KU's outage map, report a power outage or check the status of power restoration in Jefferson County, click here.
To look at Duke Energy's outage map, or report an outage, click here.
This is a developing story that will be updated.
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