The Kentucky Emergency Management says severe storms producing heavy rainfall and tornadoes Saturday night caused flash flooding and property damage to homes and businesses. Some areas in the region were hit more directly than others.
Saturday night, emergency officials around the region reported primarily downed trees and utility poles and flooding issues. Numerous power outages also affected the region. However, some areas, including Obion County, Murray, Hopkinsville and Clarksville experienced more direct wind damage.
The National Weather Service in Louisville has tweeted that preliminary information from a survey in southern Logan County found an EF-2 tornado with max winds of 135 miles per hour and a max width of 400 yards. KYEM has since confirmed that 2 EF-2 tornadoes hit Logan and Christian Counties. In Christian County, NWS says an EF-2 tornado had winds up to 135 miles per hour.
NWS says a brief EF-0 tornado with winds up to 65 miles per hour occurred just south of Lone Oak.
See the latest NWS event summary here.
Another EF1 tornado his Warren County. Tennessee also saw some tornadic activity:
Monica French of the Kentucky Emergency Management office says there have been three confirmed deaths in west Kentucky: one in Logan County, one in Simpson County and one in Union County.
NWS Paducah says rainfall over the past few days had a total average between 5 to 7 inches in most of the region - higher in some areas. While dry weather has returned, for now, the Ohio River continues to rise. Crews in Paducah have begun installing the floodwall floodgates.
Several roads are closed due to flooding. See the most up-to-date lists on the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Facebook pages: KYTCDistrict1 and KYTCDistrict2.
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PADUCAH
A building collapse in downtown Paducah, on 3rd Street is believed to have been caused by the storm, though not confirmed. The building is known as the Johnson Building. Paul Gourieux and his partner Jorge Martinez have been working on some renovations to the space. Having worked on other buildings of historic nature in downtown Paducah (TriBeCa, JP’s Bar and Grill, Hotel 1857), Gourieuxsaid the damage is a setback, but not uncommon. He said he was grateful there were no injuries and that engineering and contracting work will continue. Fire Chief Steve Kyle said in a press conference on Sunday that the front of the building will be removed Sunday night. He said the 3rd Street area around the building will remain closed until the work is completed.
The City of Paducah is beginning floodgate installation due to the rising levels of the Ohio River. The city says approximately 20 gates can be installed within 12 hours. The gates are expected to be in place for several days. The pump stations are in operation. In a press conference, City Engineer and Public Works Director Rick Murphy said the city is installing 15 gates on Sunday and will install 8 gates on Monday. The gates last went up in 2011, city officials said. Work is underway beneath the convention center to prepare for higher water levels. Murphy asks the public to give crews room to work and to stay off of the floating docks. Mayor Brandi Harless has given a verbal authorization to declare a 'State of Emergency' in Paducah.
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HOPKINSVILLE
Hopkinsville Mayor Carter Hendricks said on Facebook the areas of Fort Campbell Boulevard and Calvin Drive experienced damage due to a tornado. Eagle Crossing Apartments and some area businesses were damaged by wind. He said several families in the apartment complex have been displaced and are receiving assistance from the Red Cross. He said no major injuries have been reported.
Randy Graham of Christian County EMS confirmed an apartment complex was hit. The building had six 18-unit buildings associated. Four of those six received damage, some are completely destroyed. He said there were about nine injuries reported. Six of those were treated on scene and three were transported to the hospital with minor injuries. As Hendricks said, Graham noted that the Red Cross is providing assistance, also the Salvation Army. He said the National Weather Service determined the tornado was an EF2 with peak winds of 135 miles-per-hour. He said the county and state need to meet a certain threshold of damages before they can ask for federal assistance.
“It’s quite a process and we’re still trying to determine where we are with damages and if we’re going to meet the county threshold," Graham said.
Graham said some businesses along Fort Campbell Boulevard suffered damages, one business lost most of its roof. He said a strip mall attached to a Kmart suffered roof damage and glass blown in. He said the UPS facility has some roof damage and that an old storage facility nearby suffered ‘tremendous’ damage.
Graham said people have been calling the EMS office asking about the Code Red system and sirens not activating. He said there was a severe thunderstorm warning about 30 minutes before the tornado struck. That warning noted the possibility of tornadoes. The actual tornado strike occurred so quickly, he said, that it didn’t trigger the Code Red and thus sirens did not activate.
Mayor Hendricks has said he intends to issue a local 'State of Emergency.'
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MURRAY
Update:
Storms across the region Saturday night brought damage to homes and electric lines in Murray. Mayor Jack Rose said most of the damage is around Fairlane Drive and Earl Court area.
“As I’ve driven around town it appears that there’s been a number of houses where the roof has been damaged some, but not totally blown off or anything,” Rose said.
Rose said Murray Electric has repaired damaged power lines and says the city will fix damage to public works, including roads and sewers. He said he signed an emergency declaration to send to the Governor’s Office in hopes that the city will receive financial assistance. Paducah and Hopkinsville are in the process of declaring states of emergency.
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Structure damage in Murray, including some damage to the Food Giant grocery store. The Murray Police Department is asking people to stay clear of the areas around South 11th, Circarama and Fairlane Streets due to storm damage.
Calloway County Emergency Management’s Bill Call says a narrow line about two blocks wide and eight blocks long struck across the southern part of Murray, beginning around 15th Street to 8th Street and Henry and Dudley Streets. He noted other damage in an equivalent line in the county to the west and east of the city. Call said there is a lot of debris and no reports of injuries. He said the Southside Shopping Center had some roof damage - a metal roof ripped off the length of the building and flew eastward, causing a good bit of damage, with metal in the trees and in backyards. He said he is impressed to see volunteers from the community come together and help with clean-up efforts.
Mayor Jack Rose has declared a local 'State of Emergency' in Murray, in effect until March 5. According to a release this will aid in expediting the clean-up and restoration efforts along with the opportunity to apply for FEMA funds.
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OBION COUNTY
Danny Jowers of the Obion County Emergency Management Agency said about seven to eight housing structures are destroyed and another 15 or so have some damage. He said Red Cross is assisting families affected.
Three people are confirmed having been sent to the hospital. One was released and the other two were transferred to a hospital in Memphis.
A car dealership on the west side of Union City was destroyed, primarily the showroom. That dealership is part of a large complex that appears otherwise unaffected.
Jowers suspects a tornado caused the damage, though this has not yet been confirmed. He said there is an indication of a straight line, narrow wind event.
He urges people to stay away from the damaged areas so that crews can work and families can gather their belongings. He mentioned that the local Lowes is assisting in clean up efforts.
Gibson EMC says crews have been working since Saturday evening to restore power to the area. As of Sunday afternoon, power has been restored to most customers.
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CLARKSVILLE
This story has been updated and will be further updated.
