On Saturday evening, 2 June, a tornado ripped through London, Kentucky, and other tornadoes were sighted in a southeastern path from the impact area that was approximately 1 mile in length. Several businesses in the central part of town were destroyed. There were a few injuries, none serious, but no fatalities. State and local officials are on the scene assessing damage and determining what assistance will be needed. Preliminary reports indicate that there were approximately 120 homes affected, 18 of these were totally destroyed. Of the remaining 100, it is presently estimated that only about 20 sustained major damage. Early reports also indicate that a large percentage of homeowners had adequate insurance coverage. According to local authorities, a superb alert system is credited for the low incidence of personal injuries.

KIDRP'S RESPONSE: We have been in touch with the American Red Cross and will continue to monitor the situation as information becomes available. Within the next week, John Kays will make a trip into the area to visit the disaster site, and talk with local religious and civic leaders to determine if a long-term recovery committee needs to be formed and if so, what our role will be. At this time, most authorities do not think that federal assistance will be forthcoming. When it is determined that some victims will be left without assistance (we refer to this as people who "fall through the cracks.") we will offer our help in terms of leadership, organization, or becoming a "partner" in disaster recovery for the area. As new information is received, we will update this page on a regular basis.

John Kays, KIDRP coordinator