Deadly tornado confirmed as EF-4

LAUREL COUNTY, Ky. (ABC36 NEWS NOW) — The National Weather Service has officially rated the May 16 tornado that tore through Pulaski, Laurel, and Russell counties as an EF-4, confirming the storm packed maximum winds of 170 miles per hour and left a path of destruction more than 55 miles long.

According to NWS officials in Jackson, the tornado was also a mile wide, cutting through neighborhoods and flattening homes across southern Kentucky. The storm has been blamed for 19 deaths, including 17 in Laurel County.

A mandatory evacuation order was issued Tuesday evening for some of the hardest-hit areas, including the Sunshine Hill Subdivision and parts of Court Road, due to concerns about high winds turning debris into dangerous projectiles ahead of additional storms.

Governor Andy Beshear says at least 100 people who lost their homes are currently staying in shelters, Airbnb rentals, or hotels. The Kentucky State Police and National Guard continue to patrol impacted communities to prevent looting, and more than 200 Transportation Cabinet crew members are working to remove debris.

Beshear visited the damage firsthand over the weekend, calling the destruction “devastating.”

“There’s no other way to describe the destruction and the death that it brought to this community,” Beshear said. “A lot of Kentuckians are hurting right now. Whether you were in the path of these tornadoes or are just watching what’s happened to your fellow Kentuckians, there’s going to be a lot of need.”

He’s encouraging donations to the Team Kentucky Storm Relief Fund, which he says will help cover funeral costs and assist survivors with rebuilding.

Meanwhile, Laurel County Public Schools have ended the academic year early, and Pulaski County Schools are closed through at least Monday, May 26.

The governor confirmed the state has submitted a request for both individual and public assistance from FEMA.