The National Weather Service confirmed several tornadoes in Kentucky on Tuesday.
Louisville-area storm reports from the weather service detail damage including the roof torn off a fire station in Carefree, Indiana, damaged structures in Watson, fallen trees in Prospect and Buckner, Kentucky and flipped cars in Smithfield.
So far there have been no reports of deaths or major injuries from the storms.
Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said he would declare a state of emergency for Jefferson County. As of Tuesday evening, he said the Prospect area was hit hard with damage beginning around Beechland Beach but weather experts have not yet confirmed a tornado there.
“We are also aware of several structural collapses that the Anchorage Middletown Fire Department has come across but no rescues or injuries were reported with those structural collapses,” Greenberg said. “One other area that we have some reports of damage right now is in New Cut Road near the Outer Loop. We have some reports of downed lines.”
Greenberg said the first tornado sirens in the city went off at 5:17 p.m. A tornado watch is in effect until 10 p.m. for counties in central Kentucky and Southern Indiana.
As of 7:45 p.m., at least 28,000 Kentuckians were without power.
Earlier in the day, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear declared a state of emergency after officials confirmed tornadoes in Anderson and Nelson counties. He is expected to visit the Louisville area on Wednesday to survey damage.
Several counties and cities also declared their own emergencies due to the storms that carried high winds and hail. State offices in Frankfort and Metro Louisville services closed their offices early in anticipation of the storm.
Over the coming days, locals can expect emergency managers will be out across Indiana and Kentucky surveying to determine the scope of the damage.
