Western Kentucky University says it is “not aware” of any student fatalities from last night’s storm after originally reporting one student death.
A tweet from the university mid-morning clarified an earlier press release where President Timothy Caboni had said a WKU student was among those who have died in the deadly string of storms that ripped through Kentucky late Friday night and early Saturday morning.
The school now believes that it was a close relative of a student that died.
“Our Housing and Residence Life teams have verified that there are no injuries or fatalities among our residential students,” Caboni said in an email Saturday to faculty and staff.
WKU says information is still arriving but as of 11 a.m. they had no knowledge of fatalities in the student body.
Previous post:
The National Weather Service office in Louisville has confirmed a tornado with wind speeds of up to 120 miles per hour hit Bowling Green during the string of storms that marched through Kentucky. The NWS said it has team members surveying the damage to learn more about the tornado’s strength.
Also Saturday, Western Kentucky University President Timothy Caboni says a WKU student is among those killed by the storms.
“Our Housing and Residence Life teams have verified that there are no injuries or fatalities among our residential students, but I have recently been notified that one of our students—a young man set to graduate today—tragically passed away in the early morning storms at his off-campus residence,” Caboni said in an email to faculty and staff.
The student is one of the victims of what Gov. Andy Beshear has called “one of the toughest nights in Kentucky’s history.”
In an early morning briefing Saturday, Gov. Andy Beshear said the death toll would likely be closer to 70 to 100. Beshear declared a state of emergency, and mobilized Kentucky National Guard members to help with rescue and cleanup operations.
The Bowling Green Police Department says it’s working “numerous reports of building collapses, gas leaks, and extrications in the city due to the tornado and severe weather.” All city shelters and parks and South Warren High School are open for those needing shelter.
There are scenes of destruction across Warren County Saturday, with businesses and homes destroyed, and cars turned over.
An online map that tracks power outages showed more than 67-thousand Kentucky customers—mostly in the western and southern parts of the state—without power around 9 a.m. eastern.
Original post:
More than 50 people are dead and dozens more feared dead after severe storms swept across Kentucky overnight.
In an early morning briefing Saturday, Gov. Andy Beshear said the death toll would likely be closer to 70 to 100 after one of the worst tornadoes in state history. Beshear declared a state of emergency.
The primary tornado stayed on the ground for more than 200 miles in the state. Beshear said Graves County experienced the most significant devastation, particularly the city of Mayfield, where much of downtown was destroyed and a roof collapsed at a candle factory, where more than 100 people were working.
“To all of our Kentucky families that are impacted by this: We want you to know that we are here for you. We love you. We are praying for you,” Beshear said.
Tens of thousands of Kentuckians are without power. Western Kentucky University says emergency crews are assessing storm damage after reports of a tornado in Bowling Green.
“The tornado event may surpass the 1974 super outbreak as one of the most deadly in Kentucky history,” said emergency management director Michael Dossett. “It will be daybreak before we realize the full magnitude of this event.”
Search and rescue efforts are underway in impacted counties, Dossett said.
Beshear said he activated support from the National Guard and Kentucky State Police, as well as the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. He plans to travel to western Kentucky today.
The storm caused devastation throughout the Midwest and South, and four states were affected by the same weather system: The Associated Press reports that at least one person died in Edwardsville, Illinois, at an Amazon facility where the roof was ripped off. Three people have died in severe weather in Tennessee. One person has died after an apparent tornado tore through a nursing home in Arkansas. At least one fatality was reported in Missouri.
