Munfordville residents begin cleanup after tornado rips through town

MUNFORDVILLE - Joseph and Jean Rock were startled awake early today by something pelting their home. What they thought was hail turned out to be debris tossed by a tornado that hit their south-central Kentucky home.

No deaths were reported in Kentucky, but the storm cut a swath of destruction through parts of downtown Munfordville and nearby neighborhoods.

"This tornado hit in smack downtown Munfordville," said Gov. Ernie Fletcher, who walked the neighborhood this afternoon inspecting damage and talking with residents. "It was, frankly, a miracle that no one was killed."

The storm tore off roofs, downed trees and power lines and left piles of rubble. Residents were already busy clearing hours after the storm struck.

The tornado touched down near Interstate 65 at about 4:40 a.m. CST earlier today, knocking out the area's emergency services sirens. Officials reported heavy damage to businesses and homes, but no deaths or serious injuries.

Jodi Whitaker, spokeswoman for Gov. Ernie Fletcher, said 44 homes and two businesses suffered major damage, 34 homes and six businesses had minor damage and 25 homes were deemed uninhabitable.

Whitaker said the initial estimate is $2.1 million in major damage in Hart County.

Meanwhile, there were reports of wind damage elsewhere in Kentucky, including Henderson, primarily around Ellis Park racetrack, parts of which were flattened by a tornado that continued into Indiana where it killed at least 21 people.

Elsewhere in Kentucky, a handful of homes and about a half-dozen injuries were reported in a rural area of northern Crittenden County. Greg Rushing, emergency management director in the county, said all but one of the injured were treated at a local hospital and released. One person was flown to Evansville, Ind., with a head injury, he said.

Steve Carver, Hart County emergency management director, said there was one minor injury in Munfordville, a woman hit on the head by falling debris who refused medical treatment. He said a troop of Boy Scouts camped along the Green River when the storm hit were unhurt, but were trapped at their camp for a few hours because downed trees blocked the way out.

"They were lucky," Carver said.

Fletcher surveyed the damage in Munfordville this afternoon, walking by houses where roofs were ripped off by the storm and boards were scattered about the lawn. Insulation waved in the breeze from the remnants of a house nearby that had no windows.

"It's going to be some time before the city is back up and operating normally," Fletcher said.

The roof is partially torn of Munfordville Elementary School, where six classrooms have no roof and the cafeteria was damaged, said Dale Watkins, the building construction supervisor for the Hart County School District. Plans for a new school are in the works but no construction has begun on the facility which has about 600 students. Watkins estimated damage to cost about $500,000.

"It's heartbreaking," Watkins said.

Forty Kentucky National Guard troops are being brought in to secure damaged areas with a 9 p.m. curfew.

Benjamin Schott of the National Weather Service confirmed that a tornado caused the damage in Munfordville, a town of 1,500 about 70 miles south of Louisville.

The Transportation Cabinet has been clearing county roads and officials are assessing the damage to determine what type of federal assistance could be sought.

"We're going to rebound," said Hart County Judge-Executive Terry Martin. "We're going to work until we get it done."

Officials said a shelter was set up at a community building but they expected most people who were displaced to stay with friends or relatives.

Workers swept broken glass and debris in the lot at a Pontiac and GMC dealership in downtown. The owner, Jerry Dodson, said about 50 vehicles in his lot were totaled. His grandfather started the dealership in 1932. The dealership suffered structural damage, with siding damaged and the roof torn off the parts department.

Dodson plans to reopen soon, bringing in a temporary office if necessary and having the service department open in a few days.

"Time and a little insurance assistance heals all wounds," Dodson said. "It's just a temporary glitch. It's just an unexpected remodeling job."

Trevor Booher, manager of the Save-A-Lot in downtown Munfordville, said the back portion of his store was destroyed by the storm.

"It's pretty much a disaster here," Booher said as he cleaned up this morning.

Sandy Miles, 47, and her family carried plastic bags filled with clothes, medicine and an American flag from her father's casket away from her 72-year-old mother's home that she's lived in since 1963. It was destroyed by the storm.

"It blew her out of bed, onto the floor," Miles said.

The Rocks were cleaning up their home this afternoon and making plans to rebuild.

The retired couple had remodeled the home they bought a couple of years ago. With their roof now strewn throughout the neighborhood, sunlight gleamed in their bedroom as insulation flapped in the breeze on their roof. Piles of debris littered their front and back yards. The roof of the garage leaned on their house while glass was strewn throughout the bedroom. But, the car in the garage remained untouched by storm damage.

"God watched over everybody and nobody was hurt," Jean Rock said. "And, you know, you can replace a home and furniture."