‘It’s a war zone.’ 18 dead amid devastation in Somerset & London after storms hit KY

At least 18 Kentuckians are dead after a violent wave of storms and a likely tornado tore across the commonwealth for roughly six hours Friday night into early Saturday morning.

The devastation was breathtaking in some places, akin to an exploded bomb in business districts in Laurel and Pulaski counties and a subdivision in London. The powerful system chewed up stores and neighborhoods, collapsed buildings, overturned cars and triggered desperate door-to-door rescues in hopes of pulling residents from flattened homes.

Gov. Andy Beshear said in a Saturday afternoon briefing that at least 10 individuals are in critical condition.

“Please pray for all of our affected families,” he pleaded early Saturday morning .

At his briefing, Beshear praised local officials’ reaction to the overnight storm system, while also saying the death toll is likely to rise from 18.

Beshear acknowledged that disasters like what has unfolded in Southern Kentucky have tragically become “the new normal.” The wave of natural disasters has become too familiar of a routine: Kentucky has recorded at least 43 deaths, including two children, from extreme weather that’s pounded the commonwealth in February, April and now mid-May.

“I don’t know why this is happening to Kentucky,” Beshear said. “But our collective resilience is great, and we remain there for the communities that have been hit so hard.”

On Friday afternoon, a storm system that took shape in southeastern Missouri west of Interstate 55 gained power and roared into Kentucky, leveling homes, businesses, airport hangars and at least one church overnight Friday and into the early hours of Saturday.

It wreaked havoc before crossing I-75 about 80 miles south of Lexington and began to sputter around 1:15 a.m., exiting to southwestern Virginia.

Saturday proved a day of rescues, cleanup, surveying damage and the realization that life has changed in a slice of Southern Kentucky.

“What’s most surprising to me is just the amount of destruction,” said Craig Singleton of London.

Singleton, his wife and their three children huddled in a neighbor’s basement Friday night, waiting out two waves of brutal storms that pounded their home of 29 years. They returned to find most of their roof and exterior walls gone. A brick wall lay across one daughter’s bed where she had been sleeping earlier in the night.

“This community really needs prayers tonight,” Randall Weddle, the mayor of London, told WKYT-TV just before 2 a.m. Saturday.

Weddle confirmed fatalities occurred when at least one tornado roared out of the black sky, its shape silhouetted by lightning, and devastated communities in Laurel, Pulaski and parts of Clay counties.

Homes were destroyed, he said, and debris was everywhere.

Deputy Gilbert Acciardo, spokesman for the Laurel County Sheriff’s Office, told the Herald-Leader around 4 a.m. Saturday there were nine deaths confirmed in the county and that numerous other people were injured, some seriously. That number increased to 17 in Laurel County as of 3:30 p.m., Beshear said in a social post.

“It’s a war zone,” Acciardo said.

Overnight search efforts in London and Somerset, KY

Firefighters, police, rescue squad members and others worked through the night, often in heavy rain, searching for people killed and injured in the storms, Acciardo said.

Authorities set up a station at South Laurel High School for displaced people and first responders to warm up, get food and receive first aid if needed. The sheriff’s office appealed for people to bring in food, first aid supplies, blankets and other supplies to the station.

“We need help,” Acciardo said.

The overnight storms are the most deadly in the county since 2012, when a tornado killed six people.

Laurel County Coroner Doug Bowling told the Herald-Leader nine victims are adults and residents of the Sunshine Hills subdivision in London. That community, off Keavy Road, was pounded by what appeared to be a monster twister that tossed vehicles, sheared off roofs, blasted walls and left one woman grateful for her miraculous survival.

“This is a miracle from the Lord,” said Jennifer Adams, sporting just a few cuts and bruises as she looked for keepsakes Saturday morning.

Her concrete front porch was cracked in half, and the only thing left was the outline of the house’s foundation. Christmas ornaments and children’s books had already been bulldozed to the side of the driveway.

“This is where my house was and now it’s just gone,” she said in disbelief. “But we are here.”

Heavy damage also occurred in Somerset in communities and a business district in the southern part of the city. Video and photos show collapsed buildings and devastation.

In a Saturday morning interview with the Herald-Leader, Mayor Alan Keck said fire officials told him at least one death has been reported in Pulaski County, outside of Somerset city limits. That death was confirmed by the Pulaski County coroner, though the victim, a woman in her 60s, had not been publicly identified by midday.

Early-morning crews found significant damage in the commercial district near the Somerset Mall and the KY 914 bypass. The businesses destroyed or badly damaged included Redeemer Lutheran Church, a popular coffee shop called Baxter’s, a Speedway convenience store, a body shop, a dance studio and the headquarters of South Kentucky RECC, the regional rural electric cooperative.

Most damage was centered on Parkers Mill Road, Keck said.

“If you weren’t in the direct path of the storm, you were fortunate,” the mayor said.

Ann Cook, whose family operates Baxter’s Coffee in Somerset, said it appeared the shop at U.S. 27 and Parkers Mill Road will be a total loss.

“At this point it doesn’t seem like much is salvageable,” Cook said as she stood in the parking lot. But Cook and her mother, Terri Tuttle, said they plan to rebuild.

“It’s just stuff,” Tuttle said.

On Saturday morning, police had blocked off about a mile of normally busy U.S. 27 in the southern part of Somerset. Power lines and debris littered the road and parking lots along the four-lane.

“Somerset has taken it on the chin tonight,” said Chris Bailey, chief meteorologist at WKYT-TV, a reporting partner of the Herald-Leader.

In Somerset and Pulaski County Saturday morning, officials flew a drone to capture the path of the unconfirmed tornado.

Doug Baker, former chief of Somerset-Pulaski County Special Response Team who is still affiliated with the team, said it appeared the ornado covered several miles. It came within a quarter-mile of an apartment complex.

“This would have been totally different” had it hit that apartment complex off the KY 914 bypass, Baker said. “We felt we were lucky here.”

Emergency crews from across Central and Eastern Kentucky started arriving in Somerset Friday night, Baker said. Immediately Saturday morning, two people trapped in Pulaski County home were freed. One suffered a broken leg and both were taken to Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital.

Pulaski County Sheriff Bobby Jones said there was damage in the west end of the county, in the Nancy area, and in the eastern end of the county and the Mount Victory area.

The possible tornado crossed the county west to east and headed into Laurel County, Jones said.

Recovery begins

Along the path of the storm in Pulaski and Laurel counties, the early shock of the devastation turned to resolve Saturday as residents and business owners dug in to clean up debris, loading trucks by hand and with equipment accompanied by the snarl of chainsaws.

The night prior, small groups had gathered at the red-brick Faith Assembly of God Church next to Interstate 75 just north of London to try and report missing residents.

They met with KSP detectives and other area police officers in hushed tones about loved ones they had not been able to contact since the storms began.

Nobody wanted to talk with reporters. Hugging as they left the church, with phones clasped to their ears, several families pulled close together as they waited for good news.

A KSP detective said the families’ information would be forwarded to emergency workers searching for survivors in wrecked neighborhoods.

Shannon Curry of Manchester was about to sit down with police and report her ex-husband, who lives next to the London airport, couldn’t be found. Curry had not been able to reach him by phone since 2 a.m. Saturday.

Then, her phone rang. One of her ex-husband’s neighbors said he was safe.

“You wouldn’t believe it when you see all the damage they have by the airport,” a relieved Curry said.

Two victims of the deadly storms had been publicly identified as of 3 p.m. Saturday. Katie Fortney confirmed in messages to the Herald-Leader that her mother, Lisa Fortney, 51, of London, was among the dead.

“I would want people to remember her for her kind heart and her ability to do the best she could, no matter the circumstances,” Katie Fortney said.

Additionally, the Laurel County Fire Department confirmed Saturday afternoon one of their own, Maj. Roger Leslie Leatherman, had been fatally injured while reportedly responding to the storms.

“Major Leatherman was a dedicated public servant for 39 years, answering the call to protect and help others in their critical time of need. His courage, commitment, and sacrifice will never be forgotten,” the department said in a Facebook post.

Fayette County and Central Kentucky

Lexington and much of Central Kentucky fared better from the storm system, despite overnight thunder, lightning and rain.

• Outages for more than 170,000 customers as of 12:30 a.m. Saturday had dropped to 74,900 statewide as of 2 p.m., according to PowerOutage.us.
• Hail the size of golf balls was reported in some parts of the state. Other places saw hail the size of baseballs.
• Thousands of lightning strikes were reported.
• The National Weather Service in Paducah said multiple tornado damage surveys were planned this weekend and early next week in Kentucky, Missouri and southern Illinois.
• Warnings were issued across much of Southern Kentucky for potential flash floods.

Gov. Andy Beshear declared a state of emergency ahead of the storms Friday afternoon.

This story was originally published May 16, 2025 at 8:15 PM.