‘Preying on a community.’ Looting concerns prompt curfew at Kentucky tornado sites
Two Kentucky communities recently struck by tornadoes now have curfews in effect.
The judge-executive in Pulaski County imposed a curfew on Monday aimed at preventing looting in an area of Somerset blasted by a tornado. The curfew was to take effect at 8 p.m. Monday, May 19, for Parkers Mill Road and adjacent side roads on the south side of Somerset, off U.S. 27.
A tornado touched down west of U.S. 27 late on Friday, May 16, then moved across the four-lane highway and whipped through a commercial area along Parkers Mill Road, which intersects 27.
Somerset Mayor Alan Keck said Monday the tornado damaged or destroyed at least 20 businesses and about a dozen homes.
Under the curfew issued by Pulaski County Judge-Executive Marshall Todd, only residents of the area along Parkers Mill Road and authorized people involved in recovery efforts are allowed into the area between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m.
John P. Alexander, spokesman for Todd, said police requested the curfew because of incidents of looting.
“We want to make sure that our hard-working small business owners and our citizens are protected from vultures preying on a community trying to heal,” Alexander said.
In Laurel County, Judge Executive David Westerfield issued a similar executive order Monday due to the “imminent danger to life and property during the hours of darkness and approaching darkness, and it is especially difficult to preserve public safety during such hours.”
The areas under curfew in Laurel County include the London-Corbin Airport, Sunshine Hills, Wyan Pine, Sublimity, Crooked Creek, Cold Hill and North Farriston, according to Westerfield’s order.
The Laurel County order sets the curfew for 9 p.m. until 7 a.m. beginning Tuesday and lasting until May 27. It does not apply to first responders, credentialed media or residents traveling to or from their homes.
One woman was killed in a rural area of Pulaski County as the tornado moved east from Somerset. The loss of life was far less than in neighboring Laurel County because the storm hit at night, when most businesses were closed, and because it missed large residential areas in Somerset.
Authorities said 17 people died in Laurel County. The tornado hit several residential areas in London.
One woman died at a houseboat on Lake Cumberland in Russell County when she was overcome by carbon monoxide from a generator in use after the storm, bringing the total number of deaths attributed to the storm to 19.
This story was originally published May 19, 2025 at 5:46 PM.
