‘Worst tornado event in state history’ hits Ohio County

The tornado Gov. Andy Beshear called the worst, most devastating tornado event in Kentucky’s history, came through Ohio County Friday night destroying at least 50 homes.

According to Emergency Management Director Charlie Shields, Centertown, North Hartford and Olaton were hardest hit as the storm passed through at approximately 11:30 p.m. destroying approximately 50 homes.

Shields said the storm, which is being called the “Quad-State Tornado,” came into the county in the Centertown area around Chandler Loop and came at a 45-degree angle crossing Highway 231 North just north of Hartford where it hit several grain bins “causing devastation there.” From there it crossed I-165 and Highway 69 by Coy and Alice St. Clair’s where it destroyed their house and several others in its path.

“In Ohio County we didn’t have any deaths and I am thankful for that, but what we did have was mass devastation in our county,” Shields said. “Many homes are completely gone. All you see is the foundation and nothing else.”

There were no serious injuries reported in the county, although Shields did say one victim was transported to the hospital with minor injuries

A shelter was set up for those who lost their homes, Shields said. Two families stayed one night.

The National Weather Service was in the area for two days accessing the damage, Shields said.

“In my 20 years (in emergency management), this is the strongest storm I have ever seen come through,” he said.

“It’s amazing if you go and look around that we didn’t lose any lives in Ohio County. It is just amazing when you see the devastation.”

As of Tuesday morning, the NWS has said the tornado that moved through Ohio County was at minimum an EF-3 but with assessments still ongoing, that rating could increase. With crews still assessing the damage in Ohio County, the NWS reported Tuesday the tornado had winds that possibly reach as much as 140 MPH.

Johnston said FEMA was expected to be in the county at the end of the week to access the damage in Ohio County.

While Warren Rural Electric and Kenergy both had power outages due to the storm, as of Monday all of Kenergy customers’ power was restored and Johnston said “very few” WRECC customers’ in Ohio County “in isolated spots” were without power as of Tuesday morning.

“They have done an excellent job of getting it back on,” Johnston said.

Gov. Beshear said Monday the exact speed of the tornado that went through portions of the state is still unknown.

Four tornadoes traveled through Kentucky Friday including what’s being called the Quad-State Tornado, a rare winter tornado, ripped through more than 230 miles across four states - Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee and Kentucky – in four hours. If confirmed as one single tornado, it will set a record for the longest-single tornado event in U.S. History.

While Ohio County suffered no loss of life, other Western Kentucky counties including neighboring Muhlenberg weren’t as fortunate.

As of Tuesday, Gov. Beshear said in a capitol press conference that there were 74 confirmed deaths in the state: 21 in Graves County, 17 in Hopkins County, 15 in Warren County, 11 in Muhlenberg County, four in Caldwell County and two in Marshall, and one each in Taylor, Fulton and Lyon counties. As of that press conference eight people were still unidentified and 122 were still unaccounted for. The ages of those killed range from five months to 86 years.

Beshear said he believes approximately 1,000 homes were damaged or destroyed with 18 counties suffering significant damage.

As of Tuesday, there were still 24,000 Kentuckians without power.

Sunday President Joe Biden declared that a major disaster exists in Kentucky and ordered federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the affected area.

The declaration made federal funding available to affected individuals in Caldwell, Fulton, Graves, Hopkins, Marshall, Muhlenberg, Taylor and Warren counties. During Monday’s press conference, the governor said besides the eight counties in the original declaration, he has asked for Boyle, Breckenridge, Bullitt, Casey, Christian, Edmonson, Grayson, Green, Hardin, Hart, Hickman, Livingston, Logan, Lyon, Marion, Monroe, Ohio, Shelby, Spencer and Todd counties be included for both public and individual aid.

Starting Monday, residents and business owners who sustained losses in the designated counties can begin applying for assistance by registering online at DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or TTY 1-800-462-7585 (for deaf or hard-of-hearing Kentuckians); The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (local time) seven days a week until further notice.