Gov. Andy Beshear, right, surveys storm damage from storms in May. (Gov. Andy Beshear)
The storms that swept through Kentucky over Memorial Day weekend killed at least 6 people, Gov. Andy Beshear said Thursday.?
The previous known death total was 5. The sixth death was a 99-year-old woman in Laurel County, Beshear said.?
Previous deaths were reported in Hopkins, Caldwell, Hardin, Mercer and Jefferson Counties.?
The late May storms included an EF-3 strength tornado that sped through an adjacent area to the devastating 2021 tornado in West Kentucky.?
Beshear said his administration will submit a disaster declaration request to President Joe Biden’s administration.
The timeline on that, he said, will depend on “when we think we have enough damage documented to where we feel like we have a good probability of getting that disaster declaration.”
“There was a lot of damage,” he said. “And so I believe we at least should get a disaster declaration. We’ve got to make sure that we have enough before we make that application.”
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Sarah Ladd
Sarah Ladd is a Louisville-based journalist from West Kentucky who's covered everything from crime to higher education. She spent nearly two years on the metro breaking news desk at The Courier Journal. In 2020, she started reporting on the COVID-19 pandemic and has covered health ever since. As the Kentucky Lantern's health reporter, she focuses on mental health, LGBTQ+ issues, children's welfare, COVID-19 and more.
Kentucky Lantern is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
