LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Houses are damaged and people are without power after a strong line of storms struck Louisville and surrounding counties Tuesday night.
Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg and first responders gave updates Wednesday morning about the state of the city.
Mayor Greenberg said there were more than 40 broken utility poles after the storms and at its peak there were 7,500 LG&E customer without power.
Nearly 5,000 customers had their power restored by midnight on Tuesday. As of 9 a.m. Wednesday, there are approximately 1,400 people without power. The mayor assured the public that those without power should have their power restored by 10 p.m. Wednesday night.
Greenberg warned Louisville residents to be wary of contractors approaching them, as it could be a scam. Scams are unfortunately common after natural disasters.
Middletown and Anchorage Fire Chief Kevin Groody said 22 Louisvillians had minor injuries that did not require medical treatment and only five structures so far are considered "destroyed" by the storm.
Crews will be performing a secondary search Wednesday of the homes with major damage to ensure nothing was missed. Mayor Greenberg has asked the public to avoid Prospect if possible while crews are on site.
Though Louisville, especially a few neighborhoods in Prospect, had significant damage, The National Weather Service has not yet confirmed it was a tornado that caused the destruction.
NWS Louisville Meteorologist Mike Kochasic confirmed Wednesday morning that there was one tornado in Corydon, Indiana and three tornadoes in the Kentucky counties of Nelson, Anderson and Jessamine. It is unclear if these are individual tornadoes or if some of these tornadoes were one "long-track tornado."
NWS also confirmed tornado damage in Prospect, Kentucky and Jeffersonville, Indiana. An EF-1 damage of at least 105 miles per hour was potentially seen in Prospect and an EF-1 tornado of 100 miles per hour was potentially seen in Jeffersonville. In addition, a survey team in Bourbon County confirmed damage south of Paris on Tuesday was the result of an EF-1 tornado with 95 mile per hour winds. The survey is ongoing for each of these.
The NWS Survey Team will be on the ground again Wednesday to assess damage and make their weather determinations.
Greenberg said one of the things he noticed while he was in Prospect on Tuesday, was that everyone was so willing to lend a helping hand.
"One of my biggest observations was seeing how communities come together when people are in need. Neighbors helping neighbors," Greenberg said. "Makes me so proud not just to be mayor of Louisville, but to be a Louisvillian."
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