Kentucky neighborhoods hit by tornado to evacuate ahead of next round of storms
Mandatory evacuations will be conducted Tuesday in London ahead of another dangerous storm system expected to move through an already ravaged community, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear announced Tuesday.
Residents of two neighborhoods hit especially hard in London are required to evacuate by 6 p.m. Tuesday, Beshear said.
The Sunshine Hills subdivision is one neighborhood under the mandatory evacuation order. The other neighborhood is near the airport in London; Beshear did not provide the name, but said residents are aware of the order.
“The storm that is coming in tonight is incredibly dangerous,” Beshear said at a news conference in London.
After the weekend’s devastation, a heavy amount of debris still on the ground makes conditions even more dangerous as winds could cause further damage to homes that are still standing and were previously damaged.
Tornadoes are possible in the system forecast to hit the area Tuesday, but even if they don’t develop, Beshear said it’s clear the storm system will be packing winds high enough to turn debris left from the Friday into dangerous projectiles.
“It is simply unsafe to be around that much debris with this much wind,” Beshear said. “It’s all gonna be whipping through the air.”
Residents have to be out by 6 p.m. but should be able to return to their homes by 11 p.m. Mandatory evacuations are issued “rarely,” Beshear said, but that indicated the severity of the expected storms.
He advised those impacted to call city officials for transport to safe shelters and stay awake until the storms pass. Laurel County Sheriff John Root said police will be in the affected neighborhoods requiring individuals to leave their homes ahead of 6 p.m.
London Mayor Randall Weddle and Laurel County Judge-Executive David Westerfield said local government will provide transportation to anyone who needs a ride to leave the evacuation areas.
“Let’s keep everyone alive,” Westerfield implored.
Beshear said on Tuesday that the number of deaths from the Friday tornadoes still stood at 19, and that authorities believe everyone in areas hit by the vicious winds on Friday has been accounted for.
That would ease fears of finding many more deaths.
Beshear said eight people injured in the storm in London remain hospitalized at the University of Kentucky, down from 10 earlier, and that the number of people listed in critical condition is down to two.
President Donald Trump contacted Beshear over the weekend and “pledged to be there for the state of Kentucky,” Beshear said.
Severe weather is expected to impact most of Kentucky, beginning in the western part of the state around 2 p.m. and creeping east throughout the day and into the evening, according to the National Weather Service.
Damaging winds, hail, heavy rain and tornadoes are possible across the state, according to the NWS. Multiple waves of storms are possible from the late morning into the afternoon, with the first wave expected around 11 a.m.
The second storm system, projected to hit Western Kentucky around 2 p.m., has a higher probability of having a severe impact with “all hazards in play,” according to the NWS.
That storm will head east late Tuesday afternoon, hitting Central Kentucky around 6 p.m. and Eastern Kentucky around 8 p.m. Winds up to 60 miles per hour are expected, Beshear said.
“That storm that is coming in tonight is incredibly dangerous,” Beshear stressed.
Many of the areas hit hard by deadly tornadoes Friday night, including Laurel, Pulaski and Russell counties, are at enhanced risk of severe storms Tuesday evening.
The National Weather Service confirmed two tornadoes from severe storms that swept through Russell and Laurel counties Friday night.
The weather service rated damaged caused by the tornado that hit Russell County — and part of neighboring Pulaski County — as an EF-2.
Another tornado that killed at least 17 people was confirmed in Laurel County and rated the damage as an EF-3, according to the National Weather Service.
A 93-year-old woman died in Russell County. Pulaski County has also recorded one death.
Beshear submitted request for individual assistance Tuesday from FEMA for eight counties including Christian, Laurel, Pulaski, Caldwell, Russell, Todd, Trigg and Union counties. Public assistance support was requested for 14 additional counties.
Eight people remained hospitalized with injuries from the storms, down from 10, Beshear said. Two people remain in critical condition, two are in serious condition and four are in good condition as of Tuesday morning.
Many are displaced from their homes with 20 people in congregate shelters, 16 in Airbnb units and 65 individuals in hotels as of Tuesday morning. Twelve people are being sheltered at Cumberland Falls State Park.
In combination with three natural weather disasters from earlier this year, 903 Kentuckians are in shelter programs.
An initial 100 travel trailers for shelter are expected to arrive, with 90 arriving in partnership with the state of Louisiana, Beshear said.
The units can be set up relatively quickly at the former Levi Jackson State Park in London because it already has campground infrastructure.
Eric Gibson, director of Kentucky Emergency Management, said at the news conference that Kentucky has experienced 60 deaths as a result of weather disasters so far this year.
Widespread flooding earlier in the year caused several deaths.
“That’s an incredible number for this early in the year, in my opinion,” Gibson said.
This story was originally published May 20, 2025 at 12:15 PM.
