BOAZ, Ky. — Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear gave an update on the storm damage in McCracken County on Sunday after hurricane-force winds battered much of the Bluegrass State on Friday night.

What You Need To Know

  • The governor surveyed the damage in the far western tip of the state, an area that he said was hit the hardest by the storms

  • Beshear said that an EF-2 tornado touched down and stayed on the ground for about a mile and a half in this area, with winds of up to 125 mph and a width of about 175 yards

  • Damage assessments are taking place across the state in the aftermath of a line of storms that brought rain followed by extreme winds and then flash flooding and tornadic activity across the entire state of Kentucky on Friday, March 3

  • As of Sunday evening, about 179,000 power outages are being reported across the state. Five people have died of weather-related causes due to the extreme storm system

The governor surveyed the damage in the far western tip of the state, an area that he said was hit the hardest by the storms. Beshear spoke to the media alongside Kentucky Director of Emergency Management Jeremy Slinker and McCracken County Judge Executive Craig Clymer at the Freemont Baptist Church in Boaz. 

“First, I want to thank the people of the Freemont Baptist Church for letting us use their facilities today, which were hit head-on by this tornado,” Beshear said. “This is the hardest hit area of the state, with a number of houses having significant damage, and the miracle is that not only is everyone in this town alive, they are unhurt. When you see the pictures of what surrounds us, that shows you that God was truly in this town.”

Beshear said that an EF-2 tornado touched down and stayed on the ground for about a mile and a half in this area, with winds of up to 125 mph and a width of about 175 yards.

“It’s really incredible that everyone here is safe, even though they are rebuilding,” the governor added.

Damage assessments are taking place across the state in the aftermath of a line of storms that brought rain followed by extreme winds and then flash flooding and tornadic activity across the entire state of Kentucky on Friday, March 3. The Democratic governor said he believes that it will ultimately be declared a federal emergency after he promptly declared a statewide emergency on Friday. The declarations allow much-needed funding and emergency services to be distributed in Kentucky.

Beshear reiterated that the death count from the storms remains at five confirmed deaths as of Sunday. “We really think about the people and their families in the days and weeks and months ahead,” he said. The deaths include a 23-year-old male from Evanston County, a 63-year-old male in Logan County, an 84-year-old male in Bath County, a 68-year-old man in Simpson County and a 41-year-old woman in Fayette County.

As of Sunday evening, about 179,000 power outages are being reported across the state. The outages are becoming increasingly concentrated in the central Bluegrass region of the state, with over 85,000 outages in Fayette and Jefferson counties alone. On Sunday, the governor emphasized that this will be a “multi-day effort” to restore power across the state.

Beshear also announced that, as of Sunday afternoon, 1,202 service connections are without water, with over 8,000 Kentuckians under a boil-water advisory. He also shared that 14 water systems are without power, mainly due to power outages. “We don’t think that a majority of those outages is due to damage to the systems from the storm, which is a good thing overall,” Beshear explained.

As of Sunday afternoon, 64 counties and 19 cities had declared a state of emergency in addition to the statewide declaration. The governor stated that no one in the commonwealth is currently seeking shelter but it is available for those who need it.

Beginning on Friday, March 3 at around 11 a.m., a line of storms began passing through the state of Kentucky, with dangerous, hurricane-force winds of up to 79 mph in some areas. At least three tornadoes were reported to have touched down in the state.

The Beshear administration quickly declared a state of emergency and enacted price-gouging protections to keep Kentuckians protected in a time of emergency. According to the governor, the storms hit the western and central parts of the state the hardest, sparing the eastern part of the state for the most part.

Recovery efforts are ongoing, with workers from other states lending a hand to help get Kentuckians back on the power grid, and rebuilding efforts will soon begin for areas that suffered damage. 

Beshear closed his remarks by saying to the victims of this storm, "It's okay to not be okay." Kentucky has had its fair share of natural disasters recently, with tornadoes hitting the western part of the state in 2021 and historic flooding ravaging eastern Kentucky in 2022.

By Sunday evening, Jefferson County and Fayette County Public Schools, the two largest school districts in the state, cancelled school for Monday due to power outages. 

Related Stories