LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Gov. Andy Beshear and city officials visited wet Louisville on Friday to tour damage left behind by Thursday's tornado near the Parkland neighborhood.
Beshear will be joined by Mayor Craig Greenberg and Louisville Metro Emergency Services Executive Director Jody Meiman. They will be surveying damage and visiting residents in west Louisville early in the afternoon, according to governor's office.
The governor said LG&E and Metro Public Works responded to the aftermath faster than he's seen in any other natural disaster in the state. No residents were injured and none have been displaced by the storm.
"For a tornado to come through an urban area like this and to have no injuries we thank God and we also thank everyone for trying to be safe while the event was occurring," the governor said. "We will stand with you and we will get through this, and we will get through it together."
The mayor said dozens of structures were impacted by the tornado. He said at least a dozen reports of downed trees and powerlines were reported in the neighborhood. By Friday morning, Greenberg said LG&E had restored most of the power and only one roadway, Olive Street, remains blocked by a large tree.
"That is what community, and what a city coming together, and what public officials coming together from a state, federal and local - -should look like," District 1 Metro Councilwoman Tammy Hawkins said. "When I pulled up this morning on a constituent who spoke Spanish, it wasn't even thirty minutes from the email being sent that they pulled up right on the spot. that means a lot, it means a lot to me."
Louisville's tornado sirens didn't go off during the storm. Greenberg said the sirens only go off when a warning has been issued by the National Weather Service, but one wasn't issued.
"[The NWS is] evaluating the process as well," Director of the Louisville Metro Emergency Services Jody Meiman said. "It was so quick, 30 seconds to a minute. That quick and sometimes the radar might not catch up."
Tornadoes in Kentuckiana
The National Weather Service confirmed two tornadoes in the area Thursday, including an EF-1 that touched down in west Louisville in the area of Catalpa and Cypress streets. Several large trees were knocked down and thousands were without power Thursday.
A brief tornado warning came down from the NWS for southern Indiana before the storm entered Kentucky.
The tornado carried wind speeds of 95 mph when it hit near 28th Street and Woodland Avenue.
An EF-0 tornado was confirmed in Indiana's Harrison County.
No injuries were reported Thursday.
Beshear is no stranger to touring tornado damage in the Louisville area. He visited in April after an EF-2 tornado caused extensive damage in Prospect.
Beshear's visit comes in the midst of many conversations regarding his political future and aspirations. His name has been tossed around by many in the wake of Joe Biden's shaky debate performance as an option to replace him on the ticket should he choose to bow out.
The governor has stated he will support Biden as long as he is the nominee. He said earlier this week it's "flattering" to be considered as a potential replacement.
"I think it's a reflection of all the good things going on in Kentucky," Beshear said. "Compared to the rest of the country, the temperature has been turned down here. Democrats and Republicans are all excited about the jobs we're creating, the investment we're seeing, record-low unemployment, record-low recidivism, decreases in our overdose deaths. Those are all really good things.
"So I think the rest of the country turns to us and says, 'How can a Democratic governor and a Republican general assembly create really good results?' I think the answer to that is everything is not partisan. People are tired of the clashes day in and day out. When they look at what we have done in Kentucky, they see a better future that's beyond the back and forth we see on the federal level."
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