Kentucky
Recovery efforts underway in Kentucky county after deadly tornado
Recovery efforts continue for a community that was hit by a deadly tornado in Kentucky.
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>> PHOTOS: Severe storms, tornadoes rip through parts of Kentucky
As reported on News Center 7 at 11:00, Storm Center 7 Chief Meteorologist Austin Chaney went to Laurel County, Kentucky and spoke with people impacted by the devastating tornado.
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Day two of cleanup has come to a close in London, Kentucky, but the community is still unrecognizable.
At least 17 people, 10 women and seven men, were killed due to severe weather in Laurel County, according to Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear.
“The whole house just started shaking, it was roaring,” Edwina Wilson said.
>> Storm Center 7 surveys damage in hardest hit Kentucky county
Edwina and Zach Wilson miraculously survived this storm despite their home being reduced to a pile of debris.
“The roof was lifted off and the walls just fell in on us,” Edwina said. “A lot of my friends and family here are gone. They not only lost their home but lost their lives.”
The National Weather Service will be surveying damage to determine how strong the tornado was.
Storm Center 7’s Austin Chaney saw bark ripped from trees and homes reduced to the foundation slab.
Crews from all over the state are working on the recovery process.
“We’re coming through and just trying to clean up anything that won’t affect homeowners and families,” lineman Ricky Skidmore said.
Others are coming together to volunteer their time to help people affected.
“We go and cook for people, those that have suffered great loss,” Gunny Cole said.
“We have a group of our varsity football players trying to give back to the community, trying to give back whatever we can do,” South Laurel High School Assistant Football Coach Tim Roark said.
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A tornado was confirmed to have ripped through the Florence area during the overnight storms June 18.
The National Weather Service in Wilmington released a statement June 20 saying a tornado traveled eastward 6.2 miles across the Northern Kentucky city, 10 miles south of Cincinnati. It had estimated peak winds of 100 mph, which classifies it as an EF1 “moderate” tornado on the Enhanced Fujita Scale.
The tornado’s path goes mostly through residential areas, and the first evidence was found on Landings Way where several trees were snapped at their trunks, the weather service reported.
The tornado progressed east, crossing Interstate 71/75 and then seemingly dissipating on Tallwood Circle where multiple large branches were downed, the final known instance of damage.
Along the way, the tornado uprooted multiple trees and snapped branches, damaged several buildings and businesses, and snapped a large power pole near the intersection of U.S. 42 and Dream Street, according to the weather service.
How many tornadoes have been confirmed in Greater Cincinnati, beyond?
As of 1 p.m. June 20, the weather service has confirmed that apart from the one in Florence, two other tornadoes touched down in Greater Cincinnati on June 18:
- An EF2 “significant” tornado that traveled about 9 miles from Dearborn County, Indiana, to Boone County, Kentucky.
- An EF2 “significant” tornado that traveled just over 5 miles from Franklin County, Indiana, to Butler County, Ohio.
A few other tornadoes have been confirmed outside the Greater Cincinnati region, including an EF2 that traveled 23.6 miles from Scott County, Indiana, to Trimble County, Kentucky; an EF2 that traveled 9 miles across Pike County, Ohio; and one in Grant County, Kentucky, just north of Williamstown.
The weather service said details on the Grant County tornado will be released later on June 20.
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