SOMERSET, Ky. (LEX 18) — Officials in parts of central and southern Kentucky are still working to clear storm damage from Saturday as more severe weather rolls in.
Saturday afternoon’s brief, but powerful storm did heavy damage in areas like Pulaski County.
“We really weren’t expecting anything much more than pop-up showers like our usual in the spring and early summer. It kind of took us off guard,” said Pulaski County Emergency Management Director Aaron Ross.
Ross said the first weather-related call came in around 4 p.m., and his crews responded to a total of 30 calls involving storm damage.
Ross said road crews worked well past sundown and continue receiving calls to help clear roads blocked by fallen trees.
“A 10-minute storm and it probably took us six to eight hours to get cleared back up, and we’re still clearing today,” Ross said.
The bulk of the damage involved fallen trees and some downed power lines, according to Ross.
At one point, the power went out at the 911 dispatch center, which only added to the challenges of responding to the storm.
“Our backup generator failed to start. It took us about 40 minutes to get that back up and running,” Ross said.
Meanwhile, in Clark County, firefighters rescued a Winchester family trapped on the second-story floor of their home. Strong winds uprooted the tree in front of the family’s house, which ultimately fell over onto the home.
And in Lexington, power outages were reported in several parts of the city. Hundreds of Kentucky Utilities customers were left without electricity while crews worked to restore power.
Officials also responded to a report of a fallen tree blocking the road at Lansdowne Drive and Nantucket Drive.
