LOUISVILLE, Ky. — In a late-night news conference, Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg (D) provided updates on the severe weather that moved across the city of Louisville Wednesday night.

“We’ve been monitoring and responding to the serious weather activity that took place earlier this evening across our city,” Greenberg said.

The mayor noted the death of at least one person Wednesday evening. “It’s with a heavy heart that I’m reporting we believe there is one fatality that is potentially related to this storm in the Dixie Highway area in southern Louisville,” he said. “Our thoughts tonight are with the family of that individual who passed tonight.”

Greenberg also reported that according to the National Weather Service, an EF1 tornado touched down in the Newburg area Wednesday night at 5:05 p.m. “It would not surprise us in the days ahead if the National Weather Service confirms more than one tornado touched down in Jefferson County,” he added.

The first-term mayor described much of the damage as being in the south and southwestern parts of the city, with downed trees and powerlines, as well as damage to buildings. According to Greenberg, the worst of the damage centered on apartment buildings on Brooklawn Drive off of Dixie Highway in south Louisville, where he said several residents have been displaced because of the damage the buildings sustained.

He also shared that the American Red Cross is on the ground, providing services to those impacted. At least one person in one of the apartment buildings was taken to a hospital for injuries sustained during the storm, according to the mayor.

There were 1,265 9-1-1 calls during the storm, with most of those calls coming during the 5 p.m. hour, Greenberg said.

“We currently have reports of 13 blocked roads across the city due to downed trees, plus additional closures due to down powerlines,” he noted. Public works crews are surveying and assessing damage while they work to reopen those roads, and urged city residents to call 502-574-2111 ext. 5 to report blocked roadways.

John Gordon from NWS in Louisville confirmed he believes more than one tornado touchdown in Louisville. He also said there was damage in the Plantside Industrial Park in south Louisville from “straightline wind damage.” He also described what he said was “clear-cut tornado damage” in the Newburg area, saying he could tell from the pattern of tree damage there.

He said the NWS had clocked winds at 78 mph at Muhammad Ali International Airport. “I’ve never seen a windier year ever in my life than this winter,” Gordon said.

Gordon described the tornado as an EF1 moving at 90 mph and estimated the width at 100 yards. “That’s preliminary right now,” he said.

“I’m pretty confident there’s at least one more tornado in the county and we’ll have that confirmed tomorrow,” he added. Gordon concluded his remarks, saying there would be no bad weather in the next seven days.

Greenberg also described a line of power outages going across the entire city. At its peak, over 20,000 households reported power outages were reported in Jefferson County according to PowerOutage.us.

Chief Jason Myman with the Pleasure Ridge Park Fire Department was also on hand to discuss damage in the area, specifically to the Brooklawn apartments. Myman reported that the department had responded to well over 25 incidents related to the storm.

“There were several neighborhoods that had a lot of damage to the trees, a lot of power poles down and then, as the mayor indicated, the Brooklawn apartment complex is where we sustained a lot of the damage,” Myman said.

Myman reported that all the apartment residents were assisted out by firefighters or they were “self-rescued.” “There were no entrapments in those buildings at all and I’d like to make that clear,” he explained.

Myman said the Okolona Fire Department and the Jeffersontown Fire Department also assisted with their response efforts.

Steve Cunanan, Regional Chief Executive Officer for the American Red Cross in Kentucky, said the organization was on-site providing assistance to those in need.

Cunanan explained the agency had opened 20 cases related to the severe weather in Louisville, specifically in the Brooklawn area. “Those are cases for sheltering, they’re cases for food and they’re cases for emergency assistance.”

He noted they were in the process of sheltering those 20 individuals.

Louisville Division of Fire Chief Greg Frederick delivered safety reminders, telling Louisvillians to check smoke detectors, keep generators outside of homes and not to use candles.

Greenberg urged city residents to heed those safety warnings. “People think it’s not going to impact them. Well, it does,” he said.