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(WASHINGTON COUNTY, Ky) — At least one person is dead and multiple people have been injured as severe weather swept through Kentucky on Friday, authorities said.
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office reported a fatality and multiple injuries, with “severe damage” throughout the county after a tornado hit parts of the county.
“This is located in the remote part of the county, so it was a small area hit, but it was devastating,” Washington County Judge/Executive Tim Graves said during a news briefing on Friday.
Seven people were injured, including four from one home, Washington County officials said. Their conditions were not immediately known.
The National Weather Service has given the tornado a preliminary rating of EF-2 with winds up to 115 mph. The storm damage survey continues, and the tornado may have continued into parts of Mercer County and the central part of the state.
The “level of severe weather was unexpected,” Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said on social media after the tornado struck Washington County.
The county started getting emergency calls shortly after 7 a.m., according to Kevin Devine with Washington County Emergency Management.
Three people, including a 3-year-old, were initially reported missing, though they have all since been located, Devine said. The child was transported to a local hospital, while the other two brought themselves to a hospital, he said.
Several homes were damaged, he said, noting damage assessments are still underway.
There is no tornado siren for that area of the county, though emergency alerts went out to cellphones, according to Devine.
Beshear warned residents of eastern and southeastern Kentucky to “be alert,” with additional storms expected in the region on Friday.
Severe storms are possible from the Southeast to the Mid-Atlantic on Friday, with damaging winds, large hail and tornadoes possible.
A tornado watch has been issued for portions of North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia until 8 p.m. ET on Friday.
A severe thunderstorm watch has also been issued from east-central Alabama up to southern North Carolina into the early evening hours Friday.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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