At least 23 people were killed, many of them in Kentucky, after storm systems and tornadoes swept across the Midwest and South.
Some 14 people were killed in Kentucky, nine in Laurel County, when a tornado touched down shortly before midnight.
“We could hear and feel the vibration of the tornado coming through,” a Laurel County resident said.
“It’s one of those things that you see on the news in other areas, and you feel bad for people, then, when it happens, it’s just surreal. It makes you be thankful to be alive, really.”
While the National Weather Service had not yet confirmed that a tornado hit the area, meteorologist Philomon Geertson said that it likely happened and caused devastating damage across the largely rural area of London County.
“Lives have been changed forever here tonight. This is a time we come together, and we pray for this community,” Mayor Randall Weddle said.
