1 dead and several injured when storm rips through Kentucky community,
authorities say
[May 31, 2025]
SPRINGFIELD, Ky. (AP) — The National Weather Service issued tornado
warnings for parts of Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia and Virginia on
Friday, hours after a harsh storm hit a remote area of central Kentucky,
killing one person and injuring seven others.
In Kentucky, Washington County Judge-executive Timothy Graves said two
or three houses were destroyed and downed trees temporarily blocked
roads.
“We were fortunate this was located in a remote part of the county,”
Graves said.
Gov. Andy Beshear canceled a visit planned for Friday to Pulaski and
Laurel counties, which were hit by a tornado earlier this month. That
storm left 19 dead in the state. Officials were responding to reports of
a possible tornado in Washington County, he said in a social media post.
“This level of severe weather was unexpected, with a system still moving
through the state,” Beshear said. “We also expect to see additional
storms today with Eastern and Southeastern Kentucky facing a risk of
more severe weather."
The National Weather Service’s office in Louisville, Kentucky, said a
crew surveying damage Friday in Washington County was following a damage
path that may enter neighboring Mercer County. By midday, the crew had
found “at least” EF1 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale tornado damage in
southwestern Washington County, the office said in a social media post.
Three of the injured people were taken to University of Kentucky
Hospital in Lexington. County Emergency Management Director Kevin Devine
said the county was not expecting harsh weather Friday morning.
In a social media post, the sheriff’s office asked people to stay home
to allow emergency workers to do their jobs.
In Tennessee, multiple people were injured when severe weather hit the
Philadelphia area of Loudon County, on Friday morning, the county
sheriff’s office said in a social media post. The weather service’s
office in Morristown later preliminarily confirmed in a social media
post that an EF0 tornado struck near the border of Loudon and Monroe
counties.
On Friday evening, Air Force One circled for an hour because of severe
weather. The presidential aircraft bringing President Donald Trump back
from a trip to Pennsylvania was supposed to land at 7:50 p.m. but
bypassed Joint Base Andrews and instead circled over the eastern shore
of Maryland and Virginia and headed back north after crossing over
Virginia Beach.
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Debris and heavy damage are seen from severe weather, Friday, May
30, 2025, in Springfield, Ky. (AP Photo/Michael Swensen)
Air Force One landed just over an hour late in pouring rain. Trump
stood outside sans umbrella and spoke to reporters after he
descended from the plane.
Also on Friday, National Weather Service surveyors said a Thursday
afternoon tornado near Atlanta reached top wind speeds estimated at
135 mph (217 kph), throwing the son of actor Tray Chaney nearly 300
feet (91 meters) from the second-floor window of his home and
leaving him with critical injuries.
The storm, rated EF2, damaged about a dozen houses in a subdivision
in Locust Grove, about 30 miles (45 kilometers) southeast of the
city. Residents told news outlets they had no advance warning of the
twister, which meteorologists said dropped out of a thunderstorm
that had showed weak and broad rotation. The tornado was on the
ground for 5 minutes, covering 1.8 miles (2.9 kilometers).
Along one street, the tornado ripped off siding and shingles,
blowing out windows. Damage was worst at the Chaney home, which was
destroyed except for one interior closet on the first floor where
clothes were still hanging.
Malachi Chaney, the son, was found in nearby woods and taken to an
Atlanta hospital. Tray Chaney, best known for his role on “The
Wire,” said his son remained hospitalized in intensive care on
Friday, with injuries including broken ribs and fractured bones in
his face. Tray Chaney said he suffered a bruise on the head. In a
video recorded shortly thereafter, Chaney said he wished he could
trade places with his son, who just completed his freshman year at
Savannah State University.
“I wish he was the one that was doing the video, and I was still in
the ICU,” Tray Chaney said.
It was the third round of tornadoes in northern Georgia this week,
with the weather service confirming three weaker twisters northwest
of Atlanta on Sunday and three more tornadoes west of the city on
Tuesday.
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