LAUREL/PULASKI COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18) — As the Bluegrass prepares for another round of severe weather, residents in Pulaski and Laurel Counties are scrambling to salvage what they can from the destruction left by recent the tornado. Two of the hardest-hit streets in London, where homes that remain standing are covered with tarps and boarded up, are a testament to the damage inflicted on the community.
David Byrd, a resident of May-Lene Drive, stood in his front yard surrounded by devastation.
“It’s going to be a long time before anyone around here gets back in a home. That’s what’s sad,” he said.
His neighbors' homes were picked up off their foundations, and what used to be structures behind him were now merely piles of debris.
“There was a corner on this house with a shower, that’s all that was left, there were two people holding onto each other,” Byrd said.
“It was an eerie feeling,” said Wes Hamlin, a resident on Sunshine Hill Road. He described how he and his family took cover in their home just moments before the tornado struck.
“So we put my daughter in the bathtub, put a bean bag over her, and I just laid on top of it and told them to begin to pray.”
His 11-year-old daughter, Sadie, had just finished a phone call with her friend Chayse, who lives a few houses down.
“Just seeing the love of this community and everyone coming together really shows,” he said.
Signs of resilience and strength are subtly present amidst the wreckage. For Byrd, an American flag unearthed from the debris became a symbol of hope.
With another storm system expected Tuesday, residents have begun evacuating May-Lene Drive and Sunshine Hill Road as a precautionary measure. The Laurel County Sheriff’s Office has issued warnings stating that conditions will be extremely unsafe due to ongoing debris hazards.
As families navigate this difficult time, the community has come together to lend a helping hand. While the path to recovery may be long and challenging, the strength of neighborly support remains a comforting presence.
