At least 19 dead in Kentucky, nearly 200,000 left without power after weekend storms
At least 19 are dead in Kentucky, while more deaths were reported in Missouri and Virginia.
Kentucky's governor announced the state would look into emergency housing options after storms and severe weather killed at least 19 people in Kentucky.
"We are hard at work this morning addressing the tragic damage and deaths caused by severe weather Saturday morning," Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear wrote in a post on the social media site X. "We are securing emergency housing options and looking into sites for intermediate housing."
On May 16, Beshear declared a state of emergency due to a weather system that was moving across the state.
On May 18, Beshear confirmed the death of an adult woman from Russell County, which is 116 miles south of Louisville, bringing Kentucky's confirmed death toll up to 19, according to his post on X. The victim's age was not disclosed.
All 19 confirmed killed were adults, ranging in age from 25 to 74, according to the Kentucky Governor's Office's press release. Some of the victims' ages have not been disclosed, and only a few have been named publicly. At least another four deaths are suspected.
Most of the victims lived in Laurel County, but one person, a female whose age was not disclosed, was from Pulaski County, which is around 133 miles southeast of Louisville. Laurel County is around 150 miles southeast of Louisville.
Seven deaths were also reported in Missouri, while two were reported in Virginia, according to Paste BN's previous reporting.
Paste BN has contacted the Kentucky Governor's Office for more information.
Power returns to most of Kentucky after storms: See map
On May 17, more than 69,000 people were left without power, according to Beshear. Immediately after the storm, however, that figure had jumped to over 172,000.
The number has since shrunk down to 15,085 as of 3 p.m. ET May 18, according to Paste BN's power outage tracker.
As of 10:30 a.m. ET, around 129,386 outages were being reported throughout five states, including Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Alabama and Arkansas, according to Paste BN's power outage tracker.
Other states affected by severe weather
The severe weather was not isolated to Kentucky.
Preliminary reports of tornadoes were also made in the following states:
- Missouri
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Kentucky
- New Jersey
This story was updated to add new information.
Contributing: Jeanine Santucci, Zac Anderson; Paste BN
Julia is a trending reporter for Paste BN. Connect with her on LinkedIn, X, Instagram and TikTok: @juliamariegz, or email her at jgomez@gannett.com.