'I feel real lucky' | Kentucky, Indiana residents picking up the pieces after being hit by tornado, hail

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- An "at least" EF-2 tornado touched down near the Ohio River Thursday afternoon, cutting a path of destruction in both Kentucky and Indiana.

Two people were injured in Trimble County, Kentucky. The damage left behind shows the power of the storms that rolled through the Madison and Hanover areas of Indiana and the Milton and Carrollton areas of Kentucky — buildings damaged, trees uprooted, powerlines downed, campers overturned, and boats sent into trees.

Tornado touches down in Milton, Kentucky

Hours after the storm, the National Weather Service confirmed at least one EF-1 tornado touched down in Milton, Kentucky, but later said it was at least an EF-2 tornado. The NSW survey is ongoing. 

"I grabbed my autistic son Logan and I said 'Logan, it's a train, we got to go,'" said Milton resident, Stephanie.

With just seconds to spare as a tornado approached, the mother's intuition took over.

"And then as soon as I pulled him into a closet we heard this window just shatter," Stephanie said.

The tornado tore through the small town along the Ohio River as it moved east down Highway 36.

"When we came out it looked like a whole new world," said another resident, Brian. "We had softball-sized hail and you see what we got ... it was pretty rowdy."

The storm ripped up trees and left damage to cars from the hail. Limbs were left hanging on trees, some of which were uprooted completely.  

It even turned peoples trailers, their homes, upside down, some getting tangled up in neighboring properties. That left personal belongings scattered in fields and the road. Residents with damaged property raced to retrieve whatever they could recover, fearing any future storms will cause further damage. Many of those who spoke with WDRB said their family and pets were OK after the storm.

One thing the storm in Milton didn't claim, was anyone's life. 

"A little bit overwhelmed, but nobody was hurt and that's the good thing. Everything is replaceable," resident Valerie said.

Oftentimes when destruction hits small towns, some of the best stories come out of it. 

Carrol Coghill is 83 years old and was sitting at the kitchen table, having lunch, when he noticed the sky darken. He knew the storm was headed his way and, in seconds, the tornado was in his front yard.

Coghill said strangers came to his aid, helping him tarp up his roof to avoid further damage to the home he purchased 20 years ago.

"There was so much hail, makin' so much noise, I mean it was just terrible sound, ya know," he said.

Coghill said he went into the hallway, got on his knees, and gripped the washing machine for what he said felt like forever. The tornado, packing winds close to 110 mph, peeled off most of the roof from Coghill's home. The floors in his house now creak from the damage. Back in the kitchen, his half-eaten lunch, a bowl of cereal, ruined by insulation.

Further back down Coghill's hallway are two bedrooms.

"These rooms in here, what a mess here," he said. "This home was perfectly clean, I'm a clean person."

The ceiling is gone, drywall and insulation spread around the room. Ceiling rafters holding sections of brick that had been on the side of the house. Decades of memories and keepsakes now covered with dust. Right across the hall, the door is jammed shut. But it was back in the kitchen where Coghill's emotions started catching up with him.

"I couldn't figure out what it was making all that noise and I thought, I looked out the window in the hallway in there, it was too late. When I got in there everything just blew up," he said.

As a Vietnam veteran who spent 26 years driving a truck, Coghill is a survivor. But on Thursday, the one thing he couldn't control — the weather — is giving him a new perspective.

"I feel real lucky," he said. "Because of the noise. That thing was downright scary."

Coghill said he's fully insured and expects to rebuild. For the time being, he said neighbors have offered him a cabin to stay in.

As neighbors clean up the debris, the National Weather Service is conducting surveys. Crews were already on the ground within hours of the storm, taking measurements of all the debris they could find. Those surveys remain ongoing.

The Milton Fire Department said anyone displaced by the storm or in need of resources to contact Milton Fire Station One. Power in Milton is expected to be out overnight as crews work to restore power lines.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said tornadoes touched down in Gallatin and Trimble Counties and there was a possible tornado in Carroll County. Verbal emergency declarations have been issued for all three counties. 

Storm obliterates Indiana campground

On the other side of the river in Jefferson County, Indiana, where the storm first touched down before crossing into Kentucky, more damage was left behind.

The storm obliterated the Sandy Beach Campground in Vevay, Indiana. At Campground 56 off Route 56, not much is left standing at the seasonal RV park. The storm left behind overturned trailers, trees ripped from their roots and debris everywhere. 

Despite all of the damage, no injuries were reported in the area. But it will take time for things are back to normal.

In Hanover, Indiana, widespread damage is also prominent. Framing from houses tossed around like kindling.

"Absolutely not (a) scratch on my wife and I and that's by the grace of God, and (I) thank him for his protection over us," said Dale Drew.

The storm tore apart Drew's garage and ripped up his roof. He said he called his elderly wife, who has dementia, away from the window. The next thing he knew, the tornado was on top of them.

Indiana State Police Sgt. Stephen Wheeles said multiple tornadoes reportedly touched down around Jefferson County, Indiana. A post on social media said multiple homes were damaged, trees and powerlines were down and power was out across the area. 

The state of Indiana asks Jefferson County residents only to report storm damage by calling 211 or vising the Indiana 211 website. Residents in other counties should report damage to their local emergency manager. 

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• Tornado and hail leave extensive damage in multiple Kentucky, Indiana counties

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