As residents of Louisville’s Fairdale neighborhood survey the damage caused by an EF-1 tornado Sunday night, more severe storms are making their way toward the River City.
The first storm system will move through Jefferson County and Southern Indiana Wednesday night, likely bringing the threat of damaging winds and hail. Multiple rounds of storms will follow into the weekend, according to the National Weather Service. The area could see as much as 10 inches of rain by Sunday morning.
Jody Meiman, who heads Louisville Metro Emergency Services, said officials will open the emergency operations center to coordinate the local response starting Wednesday afternoon.
“It’s been a long time since the city has faced anything like this, the state’s faced anything like this,” Meiman said at a press conference Tuesday. “But the main thing we are really concerned about is the rain and the amount of water we’re going to get.”
The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch for Louisville and Southern Indiana that will be in effect until Sunday morning. It extends as far north as Jennings County in Indiana and as far south as Adair County in Kentucky.
In Louisville, officials are asking people to remove any storm debris from Sunday night that could end up blocking storm drains or streams, further intensifying flash floods.
Mayor Craig Greenberg encouraged residents to prepare in advance of the coming storms by signing up for LENSAlert, the city’s emergency notification system. It’s also important to have flashlights ready and know what interior room you’ll go to in the event of a tornado.
“One of the women whose home was probably the most impacted in all of Fairdale, she was looking for the flashlight and making sure they had the right batteries,” he said. “You want to be prepared and have that ahead of time. So, please have a severe weather plan and supplies ready.”
Residents will also need to be careful when driving in the later part of the week. If they see roads that appear to be flooded out, they should turn around immediately, Greenberg said.
Multiple tornadoes confirmed
Emergency crews are continuing to survey the damage in Fairdale from the tornado that touched down Sunday night.
On Monday, the National Weather Service confirmed that an EF-1 tornado ripped through the south Louisville neighborhood with winds of at least 90 mph. The tornado caused downed trees and power lines, as well as damage to homes, sheds and other property.
Greenberg said at a press conference Tuesday morning that no injuries to people have been reported.
“The recovery has begun,” he said. “We’ll have folks out there today that will be contacting individuals today to see if we can help them out with some federal assistance.”
At least two other tornadoes touched down in Kentucky on Sunday.
The National Weather Service confirmed that an EF-1 tornado hit the eastern part of Spencer County and one, possibly multiple, tornadoes hit Meade, Hardin and Bullitt Counties.
The NWS damage survey team was out in Breckinridge, Hardin, Meade, Bullitt and Nelson Counties on Tuesday looking for signs of additional tornadoes.
