BEECHLAND BEACH, Ky. — The storm that mangled several houses in Beechland Beach, a riverfront area near Prospect, was upgraded to an EF-2 tornado on Thursday, recording up to 120 mile per hour winds.
On Wednesday, Shirley Avenue and Bass Road were completely blocked off from the public as crews continued to fix downed powerlines and cleanup debris.
As of Thursday, the roads were almost fully accessible and landscapers were busy helping dismantle fallen trees.
Kenneth Johnson was sitting on his couch when he got the tornado warning, alerting him to take cover. Within 10 seconds, he said he was three steps down into his basement when a large tree fell on his property, crushing his home.
"They opened up the basement window, tear it out in order to get me out of the basement," Johnson said. "I had no way to get out of there other than that."
After the storm passed Johnson said he was going through a whirlwind of emotions himself.
"I'm pinching myself, I'm getting hugs from people I don't know so I'm feeling better," Johnson said.
He initially hesitated to take cover in his basement, but ultimately it's what saved his life and he said he's glad he listened to the warning.
"Don't ignore those alerts," Johnson said. "Every now and then it won't hurt you to get up and walk down in the basement and cover your head. If you don't, it looks like those trees can come and sit in your lap. Heed to those warnings."
Johnson said he doesn't know why the man upstairs decided to keep him alive, but that he now knows there are things he needed to take care of.
"I'm very, very fortunate I was able to walk out of there," Johnson said.
The only injury he sustained was a scratch on top of his head. Johnson added that his family came to town to check on him.
"[They] gave me a great big hug," he said. "I couldn't believe that. They squeezed me real tight."
NWS Louisville continues to survey damage in several counties as they've already identified eight tornados across Kentuckiana.
Meteorologist with National Weather Service Louisville John Gordon said during these times storm damage like this can bring out the good, the bad and the ugly.
"The good, you see churches and neighbors helping others," Gordon said. "You see the bad, where people are just gawking and bothering first responders. Then there's the ugly, the scam artists the roofers and tree people. Call the BBB [Better Business Bureau] do not be scammed when you're already hurting."
Learn how to avoid being scammed during storm damage clean-up here.