LONDON, Ky. (AP) — At least 27 people have been killed by storms systems that swept across part of the U.S. Midwest and South, with Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear announcing Saturday that 18 of the deaths came in his state and 10 others were hospitalized in critical condition.
A devastating tornado in Kentucky damaged homes, tossed vehicles and left many people homeless. Seventeen of the deaths were in Laurel County, located in the state's southeast, including Fire Department Maj. Roger Leslie Leatherman, a 39-year veteran who was fatally injured while responding to the deadly weather. The other fatality was in Pulaski County.
Parts of two dozen state roads were closed, and some could take days to reopen, Beshear said. He also said most of the victims were in their 60s and 70s and the death toll could still rise.
“It’s hard to see,†the governor said after touring the impacted areas. “Homes that there isn’t a single wall left standing. Some homes that have all four walls yet lost the person inside. You can not only see the destruction but feel it.â€
State Emergency Management Director Eric Gibson said hundreds of homes were damaged,
Kayla Patterson, her husband and their five children huddled in a tub in their basement in London, the county seat, as the tornado raged.
“You could literally hear just things ripping in the distance, glass shattering everywhere, just roaring like a freight train," she recalled. “It was terrible.â€
The family eventually emerged to the sounds of sirens and panicked neighbors. While their home was spared, others right behind it were demolished, Patterson said Saturday, as power tools buzzed in the background. The neighborhood was dotted with piles of lumber, metal sheeting, insulation and stray belongings — a suitcase, a sofa, some six-packs of paper towels.
Rescuers searched for survivors all night and into the morning, the sheriff's office said. An emergency shelter was set up at a high school, and donations of food and other necessities were arriving.
Another resident, Chris Cromer, said he got the first of two tornado alerts on his phone around 11:30 p.m. Friday, about a half-hour before the tornado struck. He and his wife grabbed their dog, jumped in their car and sought shelter in the crawlspace of a relative’s nearby home because their own crawlspace is small.
“We could hear and feel the vibration of the tornado coming through,†said Cromer, 46. A piece of their roof was ripped off, and windows were broken, but other homes nearby were destroyed.
“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. “It makes you be thankful to be alive, really.â€
The storm was 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.
In late 2021 another storm spawned tornadoes that killed 81 people and leveled portions of towns in western Kentucky. The following summer historic floodwaters inundated eastern parts of the state, killing dozens.
Beshear said that since he became governor in 2019, he has dealt with at least 14 federally declared disasters, all but one of them weather-related. He called Friday's tornado and storms “one of the worst."
“This seems to be the new normal that Kentucky is facing,†he said.
Missouri pounded by storms, with deaths confirmed in St. Louis
About 1,200 tornadoes , and they have been reported in all 50 states over the years. in 2018 that deadly tornadoes were happening less frequently in the traditional “Tornado Alley†of Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas and more frequently in parts of the more densely populated and tree-filled mid-South.
The latest Kentucky storms were part of a weather system that killed seven in Missouri and two in northern Virginia, authorities said. It also caused tornadoes in Wisconsin, brought punishing heat to Texas and temporarily enveloped parts of Illinois — including Chicago — in a pall of dust on an otherwise sunny day.
“Well that was.....something,†the weather service's Chicago office wrote on X after issuing its first-ever dust storm warning for the city. Thunderstorms in central Illinois pushed strong winds over dry, dusty farmland and northward into the Chicago area, the agency said.
In St. Louis, Mayor Cara Spencer said five people died, 38 were injured and more than 5,000 homes were affected.
“The devastation is truly heartbreaking," she said at a news conference. An overnight curfew was to continue in the most damaged neighborhoods.
Weather service radar indicated a likely tornado touched down between 2:30 p.m. and 2:50 p.m. in Clayton, Missouri, in the St. Louis area. The area of Forest Park is home to the St. Louis Zoo and hosted both the World’s Fair and the Olympic Games in 1904.
Three people needed aid after part of the Centennial Christian Church crumbled, St. Louis Fire Battalion Chief William Pollihan told The Associated Press.
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.
John Randle said he and his girlfriend were at the St. Louis Art Museum and were hustled into the basement with about 150 other people.
"You could see the doors flying open, tree branches flying by and people running,†said Randle, 19.
At the zoo, falling trees severely damaged the roof of a butterfly facility. Staffers quickly corralled most of the butterflies, the zoo said on social media, and a conservatory in suburban Chesterfield was caring for the displaced creatures.
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 reported.
Forecasters say severe weather could batter parts of the Plains
The weather service said supercells were likely to develop across parts of Texas and Oklahoma Saturday afternoon before becoming a line of storms in southwest Oklahoma and parts of Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas on Saturday night.
The biggest risks included hail up to 3.5 inches (8.9 centimeters) in size, along with damaging wind gusts and a few tornadoes.
The conditions were expected to continue on Sunday across parts of the Plains.
“Be prepared to take action if watches and warnings are issued for your area,†the weather service said.
This story has been updated to correct the county in which a Kentucky firefighter died.
Associated Press writers Jennifer Peltz in New York, Sudhin Thanawala in Atlanta, Mike Catalini in Morrisville, Pennsylvania, and Juan Lozano in Houston contributed.
