Tornado kills at least 19 people in eastern Kentucky

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Storm systems sweeping across parts of the Midwest and South have left at least 27 dead, many of them in Kentucky, where what appeared to be a devastating tornado crumbled buildings and flipped a car over on an interstate.

In Kentucky, some 19 people were killed by severe weather, and the death toll is likely to rise, according to Gov. Andy Beshear.

Beshear said 17 people were killed in Laurel County, while one person died in Pulaski County. There are also 10 people from Laurel County who sustained critical injuries.

On Sunday, Beshear announced an additional death in Russell County.

According to the Laurel County Fire Department, one of the victims was Maj. Leslie Leatherman. He was killed during his response to the tornado overnight.

The fire department said Leatherman was a dedicated public servant for 39 years.

Beshear said the death toll could still rise.

Laurel County resident Chris Cromer said he got the first of two tornado alerts on his phone around 11:30 p.m. or so, about a half-hour before the tornado struck. He and his wife grabbed their dog, jumped in their car, went to a relative's nearby home and got into a crawlspace.

“We could hear and feel the vibration of the tornado coming through,” said Cromer, 46.

His home is intact, though a piece of the roof got ripped off and windows were broken. A house two doors down is destroyed, along with others in the Sunshine Hills neighborhood, Cromer said.

“It’s one of those things that you see on the news in other areas, and you feel bad for people — then, when it happens, it’s just surreal," he said, describing a landscape of destruction. "It makes you be thankful to be alive, really.”

Rescuers were “on the ground all night looking for possible survivors," and the search was continuing into the morning, Sheriff's Office spokesperson Deputy Gilbert Acciardo. An emergency shelter was set up at a local high school and donations of food and other necessities were arriving.

The National Weather Service hadn't yet confirmed that a tornado struck, but meteorologist Philomon Geertson said it was likely. It ripped across the largely rural area and extended to the London Corbin Airport shortly before midnight.

“Lives have been changed forever here tonight. This is a time we come together, and we pray for this community,” London Mayor Randall Weddle told WKYT-TV. “I have never personally witnessed what I‘ve witnessed here tonight.”

Mahala Watts and her family escaped with their lives early Saturday morning after hiding in their bathroom as a severe storm hit their home.

"You don't think this is going to happen, we stood up and the roof was gone, everything was gone," Watts said. "Almost immediately it came and we were down on the floor. It just rushed over us. We started breathing in the debris."

Watts said it lasted less than 30 seconds. Bathroom mirrors fell on her and a toppled refrigerator blocked her exit.

"My dad's truck was in the yard behind me and now it's on top of my car," Watts said.

Dozens of cars were flipped.

"There was a lot of lightening and then all of a sudden the wind started," said Rita Fletcher.

Fletcher said her family barely had time to get to their safe space before the storm hit.

"It was loud, scary and I could just feel the pressure like in the side of my house," Fletcher said. "All I remember was calling out my four children's names. Once I found them I went and looked for my mom and dad and it was such a relief when I heard them saying that they were okay."

It’s the latest severe weather to cause deaths and widespread damage in Kentucky. Two months ago, at least 24 people died in a round of storms that swelled creeks and submerged roads. Hundreds of people were rescued, and most of the deaths were caused by vehicles getting stuck in high water.

A storm in late 2021 spawned tornadoes that killed 81 people and leveled portions of towns in western Kentucky. The following summer, historic floodwaters inundated parts of eastern Kentucky, leaving dozens more dead.

Thousands of people lost power in Louisville during the storms.

"Many are still recovering this morning from power outages and some damage, but there were no life threatening injuries resulting from the storm that we are aware of at this time," Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said.

In Missouri, meanwhile, at least seven people died and authorities were searching from building to building for people who were trapped or hurt after severe storms including at least one possible tornado.

The storms were part of a severe weather system Friday that also spawned tornadoes in Wisconsin, left several hundred thousand customers without power in the Great Lakes region and brought a punishing heat wave to Texas.

In Missouri, the storms Friday afternoon tore roofs off buildings, blew out windows, ripped bricks off siding and yanked up trees and power lines. St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer confirmed five deaths in her city and said more than 5,000 homes were affected.

“This is truly, truly devastating,” Spencer said, adding that the city was in the process of declaring an emergency and an overnight curfew Friday had been put into place in the neighborhoods with the most damage.

The number of people injured was not immediately known. Barnes-Jewish Hospital received 20 to 30 patients from the storm with some in serious condition and most expected to be discharged by Friday night, according to hospital spokesperson Laura High.

St. Louis Children's Hospital received 15 patients with two of them expected to remain in the hospital into the weekend, she said.

National Weather Service radar indicated a tornado touched down between 2:30 p.m. and 2:50 p.m. in Clayton, Missouri, in the St. Louis area. The apparent tornado touched down in the area of Forest Park, home to the St. Louis Zoo and the site of the 1904 World’s Fair and Olympic Games the same year.

At Centennial Christian Church, City of St. Louis Fire Department Battalion Chief William Pollihan told The Associated Press that three people had to be rescued after part of the church crumbled. One of those people died.

Stacy Clark said his mother-in-law Patricia Penelton died in the church. He described her as a very active church volunteer who had many roles, including being part of the choir.

Jeffrey Simmons Sr., who lives across from the church, heard an alert on his phone and then the lights went out.

“And next thing you know, a lot of noise, heavy wind,” he said. He and his brother went into the basement. Later, he realized it was worse than he thought. “Everything was tore up.”

Downed trees and stop lights also caused traffic gridlock during the Friday afternoon commute and officials urged people to stay home.

The upper stories of the Harlem Taproom's brick building were demolished when the storm came through, leaving piles of bricks around the outside. About 20 people were inside, but they huddled in the back of the building and none were hurt, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

John Randle, a 19-year-old University of Missouri-St. Louis student, said he and his girlfriend were at the St. Louis Art Museum during the storm and were hustled into the basement with about 150 other people.

They could hear tree branches and hail hitting the building’s windows and Randle went up a flight of stairs to the main entrance for about 10 seconds, he said.

"You could see the doors flying open, tree branches flying by and people running,” he said. “A lot of people were caught outside.”

Christy Childs, a Saint Louis Zoo spokesperson, said in a text that the zoo would remain closed Saturday because of downed trees and other damage. Childs said all animals were safe and that there were no reports of significant injuries to staff, guests or animals.

“We can’t definitively say whether or not it was a tornado — it likely was,” National Weather Service meteorologist Marshall Pfahler said.

A tornado struck in Scott County, about 130 miles (209 kilometers) south of St. Louis, killing two people, injuring several others and destroying multiple homes, Sheriff Derick Wheetley wrote on social media.

“Our first responders acted swiftly, even while the tornado was still active, putting themselves in harm’s way to provide immediate assistance and care to those injured,” he said.

Thousands without power across Kentuckiana after severe storms bring destructive winds

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