LOUISVILLE, Ky. — An entire family living on the same neighborhood block for generations were impacted as an EF-1 tornado wreaked havoc on Catalpa Street.
It was Thursday afternoon when LaShonda Petty was preparing to welcome her relatives over for an Independence Day celebration. That's when she noticed the sky quicky changing and demanded everyone in the house to get to the basement.
"It was instantly dark and I looked out the window," Petty said. "I literally saw like a funnel. Like a tornado. I saw it out the window. I was terrified."
Once the storm had passed Petty said she went outside to check out if her house sustained any damage.
PHOTOS: Damage across Louisville and southern Indiana after severe weather on July 4, 2024
Her backyard was covered in broken tree limbs and some downed power lines. The most significant damage to their home was a large branch sitting on their back porch.
Petty said she has family members all around the block and that they've owned some houses for generations. She noticed a large tree had fallen and crushed her cousin Audrey Johnson Jr.'s car just seconds before he got out.
Johnson said he's not used to seeing a tornado’s impact right at his doorstep.
"You don't think it's going to hit the West End," Johnson said. "You just don't think it's going to hit down here. It's always on the outskirts near Louisville. It never comes through here. It happened so fast, I'm just glad I got out. Two seconds more and I probably would've gotten smashed."
As cleanup crews started removing the tree on his car, Johnson said he's just grateful to be surrounded by his family after the scare.
"Everybody sticks together," Johnson said. "This is a family neighborhood. I know I'm blessed. I could've been gone, two seconds more I could've been gone. Instead of cutting that tree out they could've been cutting me out."
As residents continue to assess the damage in their neighborhood, so did Gov. Andy Beshear and Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg.
What was supposed to be a fun Independence Day weekend for Petty's family has turned into lesson she won't forget.
"I was scared when it started raining this morning," Petty said. "I'm like let me check the weather. I don't even check the weather because I mean it might rain hard but other than that you don't expect stuff like that here."
Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.
Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.