'Devastated': Buckner families picking up pieces after storms hit Oldham County
Severe storms that swept through Tuesday left destruction in the Buckner area of Oldham County.
The storms resulted in downed trees, power lines, and left crews working into the next day to restore electricity to thousands of residents.
Fortunately, no injuries or deaths were reported.
In one of the hardest hit areas on Chelsea Meadow Court, a subdivision off Cedar Point Road, families are still processing what they experienced.
“We grabbed the kids out of their rooms on the third floor and just ran to the basement,” said Natalie Dorris, whose home was damaged. “As we were running to the basement, we could see the trees flying. We could see everything in the air through the windows.”
Homeowners like Natalie Dorris wasted no time on Wednesday picking up the pieces.
Crews worked to repair roofs that were either blown off or ripped apart, leaving debris scattered throughout.
“Devastated is the word of the day,” said Dorris. “I’m in awe because one moment all of the trees are down, and everything in the backyard is moved, but the tulips two centimeters over are still happy and fine, so it's crazy how specific and direct the winds are.”
Oldham County's Judge Executive is also stunned about how some homes were badly damaged and others in the same proximity were left unscathed.
“It's amazing to see how close you can be to escape the damage,” said David Voegele. “One person got it, the other didn't. I guess it's just the power of nature.”
Nearly 10 homes received significant damage from the storms, and many are uninhabitable, leaving many families displaced, including Norris'.
When she can return is unfortunately still up in the air. It's also one of many lingering questions they're trying to answer on the road to recovery.
“The cleanup, assessing, figuring out what the damage is and where to go; we have to figure out where to go, and we're working with different teams to help us figure that out,” she said.
The Red Cross is out helping those displaced families.
The National Weather Service is also expected to survey the damage to confirm if a tornado did, in fact, touch down in Buckner.
Residents that need to contact Oldham County Emergency Management regarding the storm aftermath, can call dispatch at 502-222-0111, or director Zack Wilt directly at 502-222-0799.