Residents in Kentucky and Missouri were sorting through the wreckage left behind in neighborhoods devastated by tornadoes, remaining anxious on Sunday as more severe weather was expected. The storms, which swept across parts of the Midwest and South, claimed the lives of over two dozen people.
Kentucky bore the brunt of the destruction, with a powerful tornado tearing through the state, damaging hundreds of homes, overturning vehicles, and leaving many residents without shelter. At least 19 fatalities were reported, the majority occurring in southeastern Laurel County.
The National Weather Service warned of another “multi-day” stretch of hazardous weather across the central U.S., including heavy rainfall, thunderstorms, and the risk of additional tornadoes.
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The weather service confirmed a “large and extremely dangerous” tornado Sunday afternoon near Mingus, Texas, about 70 miles (110 kilometers) west of Fort Worth. Significant damage but no immediate casualties were reported in Palo Pinto County, which includes Mingus, a sheriff’s office dispatcher said.
Forecasters warned of hail the size of tennis balls in that area, and damaging hail elsewhere in parts of Kansas, Oklahoma and Nebraska.
‘It happened so fast’
Jeff Wyatt’s home of 17 years was destroyed along with much of his neighborhood in London, Kentucky. Wyatt, his wife and two of their children scarcely made it to safety in a hallway while the roof and family room were ripped away. On Sunday, the family returned to the wrecked home to collect photos, baby blankets and other keepsakes.
“It happened so fast,” said Wyatt, 54. “If we would have been there 10 seconds longer, we would have been gone with the family room.”
Survivors and their supporters picked through the debris in London on Sunday, wary about new forecasts. Severe storms were possible for Kentucky on Monday and even more so on Tuesday, the weather service said.
Zach Wilson, whose parents’ home was destroyed, said he was “terrified” another storm would ruin the remaining salvageable items scattered across their property — or even worse, destroy another community.
“If I had to tell anybody it would be to listen to every word that the National Weather Service kicks out and take every warning seriously,” Wilson said.
The Kentucky storms emerged from a weather system Friday that killed seven in Missouri and two in northern Virginia, authorities said. The system also spawned 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.
MISSOURI and KANSAS could see more storms
The weather service said parts of Missouri and Kansas could see severe thunderstorms, golf ball-sized hail and wind gusts up to 60 mph (97 kph) into Monday.
In London, Kentucky, Ryan VanNorstran huddled with his brother’s large dogs in a first-floor closet as the storm hit his brother’s home Friday in a neighborhood along Keavy Road where much of the destruction in the community of nearly 8,000 people was centered. VanNorstran was house-sitting.
He said he felt the house shake as he got into a closet. Then, a door from another house crashed through a window. All the windows blew out of the house and his car was destroyed. Chunks of wood had punched through several parts of the roof but the house avoided catastrophic damage. When he stepped outside, he heard screaming.
“I guess in the moment, I kind of realized there was nothing I could do. I’d never really felt that kind of power from just nature,” he said.
DAMAGE ASSESSMENTS UNDERWAY
Damage assessments were underway Sunday as the state readied its request for federal disaster assistance, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said.