LEILA FADEL, HOST:
More than two dozen are dead across Kentucky, Missouri and Virginia after a storm sent tornadoes through these states over the weekend.
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
The storm leaves behind a few questions, including these - how will states manage the aftermath? And how much warning did people get after staff cuts at an office of the National Weather Service?
FADEL: Let's turn now to Justin Hicks, who's covering the story for Kentucky Public Radio. Justin, good morning.
JUSTIN HICKS, BYLINE: Hey. Good morning, Leila.
FADEL: Can you give us a brief recap of what happened in Kentucky?
HICKS: Yeah. So on Friday evening, just about all of Kentucky was bracing for this line of severe thunderstorms that were heading west to east. And we were all told to expect high winds, hail, maybe even tornadoes. Well, just about midnight, the National Weather Service now estimates there was a tornado with roughly 150-mile-per-hour winds that just tore through central Kentucky.
FADEL: Now, you're in London, Kentucky. What's the scene right now? How are people feeling?
HICKS: Yeah. So while Main Street looks pretty normal, just about a five-minute drive away, there's houses that are just turned over. That's where I found Matthew Belcher, and he was still in shock yesterday. After the tornado, he said he emerged to find that his house was mostly fine, but right across the street at this mobile home park, other homes had just disappeared into the wind. And yesterday, some RVs were still wrapped around tree trunks.
MATTHEW BELCHER: It was wild. We had a bunch of power lines. People were rushing to get out and were driving through them. But we got very, very blessed, considering that we are 15, 20 feet away from mass destruction.
HICKS: And Belcher says his neighborhood was told they may not have running water or power again for weeks 'cause you could see all the light poles are just leaning or snapped in two. And meanwhile, everyone with damages have been scrambling to patch holes in their houses or get keepsakes removed, because the weather experts are telling us that another round of thunderstorms is coming tonight and Tuesday.
FADEL: Speaking of weather events, there's been some reporting, too, about the local National Weather Service office having staffing cuts thanks to these federal cost-saving measures. What do we know about how that affected the office's ability to warn about the storm?
HICKS: So our Kentucky Public Radio team found that on quiet nights, the local office was closing from about 1 a.m. to 7 a.m. to conserve staff. But then on nights with bad weather, they are able to shift things around to make sure they are fully staffed. And so the office's lead meteorologist says they were fully staffed and they were prepared on Friday night. They said that they knew a tornado was possible and that the failure to notify people just isn't an option for them.
FADEL: Now, you're in the midst of the destruction there in London, and you've been talking to survivors and volunteers and looking at the wreckage. Were there any moments that stuck out to you?
HICKS: Yeah. So I spoke to this guy named Jake Cutchens. He was there helping his girlfriend's family, the Carnes family, and they were all digging through what was left of the house after the tornado just blew the entire second story and the roof off. And so we sort of sat on the rubble of that second story with our feet dangling off the edge, and we sort of watched this beautiful purple sunset over this totally decimated neighborhood. And sitting there, Cutchens just started unreeling his thoughts.
JAKE CUTCHENS: You know, the thing that they recovered the most out of here was pictures. And somehow, every one of them stops and looks at a picture and smiles and laughs, and they're telling stories. And it's - this is Appalachia's heart right here, and it's the coolest thing to just see it.
HICKS: So I think it's just little moments like that that really help put things in perspective after such a big tragedy.
FADEL: Absolutely. That's Justin Hicks with Kentucky Public Radio. Justin, thank you for your reporting.
HICKS: Of course. Thanks.
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