London, Kentucky tornado survivors piled into bathtubs, emerging to find everything gone
- Weather
- May 19, 2025
The Fox climate correspondent, Katie Byrne, reports from Laurel County, Kentucky, where a tornado destroyed a large subdivision of London. The residents tell Fox Weather that they lost everything, but people are coming to help.
London, ky. – The families dodged in their bathrooms and arose to find their missing houses when a mortal tornado Barrow through the community of London, Kentucky, on Friday, leaving bases only in the bases where the houses once was.
Ida House and three other family members ran into the bathtub on Friday night when they heard the roar of the tornado.
“It’s bad. We lost everything except some at home, not much,” House told Fox Weather Katie Byrne correspondent.
The Sunshine Hills subdivision, where many houses were destroyed, seems unrecognizable.
On the left: Katie Byrne de Fox Weather speaks with a survivor from London, Kentucky Tornado. On the right: James Sexton is comforted by a family friend while cleaning the rubble of his house on May 18, 2025 in the Sunshine Hills community on the outskirts of London, Kentucky.
(Tavyen Matthews / Getty images / getty images)
The recovery efforts in progress in Kentucky, Missouri, while the number of deaths due to tornado shoots continues to increase
House said the neighbors were trapped under debris, and their grandson and their uncle helped them. Another neighboring family hunter in the shower, which is all that remains of your home.
At least 17 deaths, the severe weather outbreak has been informed in Laurel County, including a local firefighter. Ten another suffered serious injuries.
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TOPSHOT – A woman inspects the damage of a tornado in London, Kentucky, on May 17, 2025. More than 20 people have died after the severe storms swept for the southern states of the United States of Missouri and Kentucky, the reports of the local officials and the local media said on May 17, 2025. The governor of Kentucky Andy Beshear said in X Dead on the storms on Friday night. At least seven people were killed in Missouri, Washington Post reported. (Photo by Allison Joyce / AFP) (Photo by Allison Joyce / AFP through Getty Images)
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Tornado damage in Laurel County, Kentucky.
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Tornado damage in Laurel County, Kentucky.
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The rubble is seen around and in the trunk of a tree after a tornado beaten in London, Kentucky on May 17, 2025. Severe storms that extend through the United States states of Missouri, Kentucky and Virginia left more Thad, placing people Dadity, People’s Dady People Diseuseusee de Dealtey, Laying People People’s heights. 200,000, the authorities said on May 17. The governor of Kentucky, Andy Beshear, said that at least 18 people had died in the storms on Friday night, while local officials in Missouri said seven were dead there. (Photo by Allison Joyce / AFP) (Photo by Allison Joyce / AFP through Getty Images)
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The rubble are scattered and on top of the trees after a tornado in London, Kentucky on May 17, 2025. severe storms that extended by the US states. 18 people had died in the storms on Friday night, while local officials in Missouri said seven were dead there. (Photo by Allison Joyce / AFP) (Photo by Allison Joyce / AFP through Getty Images)
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London, Kentucky – May 17: Mark Sexton kisses his daughters dog after he was removed from the debris of his parents’ house after the tornado that hit the neighborhood of Sunshine Hills on May 17, 2025 in London, Kentucky. A tornado hit the communities in Somerset and London, Kentucky, leaving 10 dead and more. (Photo by Michael Swensen/Getty Images)
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London, Kentucky – May 17: Payson Sexton, 13, meets his dog after he was caught in his grandfather’s house after the tornado that hit the neighborhood of Sunshine Hills on May 17, 2025 in London, Kentucky. A tornado hit the communities in Somerset and London, Kentucky, leaving 10 dead and more. (Photo by Michael Swensen/Getty Images)
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London, Kentucky – May 17: The members of a local church pray with Tony and Joe McFall, who lost their father and the wood last the tornado in the neighborhood of Sunshine Hills on May 17, 2025 in London, Kentucky. A tornado hit the communities in Somerset and London, Kentucky, leaving 10 dead and more. (Photo by Michael Swensen/Getty Images)
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Roger and Karina Rivas obtained the warning of the tornado and ran to the small bathroom of their house and lay down on the floor. When the tornado passed, they were 15 feet away from where they started.
Kentucky’s firefighter probably died to the wife of the catastrophic Tornado de London: ‘Public Heart Server’
“We thought we had fallen, but we realized that we were just 10, 15 feet,” Rivas Rivas said. “The house is gone.”
They tried to hold on to their German shepherd, Shadow, but she escaped the duration of the tornado. Grateful, the couple said they have seen her in the neighborhood. It is very scared and continues to flee after a traumatic event.
The houses are reduced to slabs in London, Kentucky after a tornado crossed the community. Roger and Karina Rivas told Katie Byrne de Fox Weather who duck in a bathroom and then realized that her house had gone.
“We didn’t know. We thought I was dead,” Rivas Rivas said.
Roger suffered a serious injury in his arm due to debris while trying to protect his wife and dog.
“The house, anything that is in it, really does not matter. We could not matter less. All this is replaceable. We are not replaceable, simply … too pone seeing how fragile it is and simply feel so exaggerated,” Rivas Rivas. ”
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It helps Bave arrive almost immediately from the entire state to Laurel County, but the hands of help were already the following and offering what they could.
The neighbors who did not suffer important damage opened their doors to those who lost everything. The Rivas said that his neighbor brought them home and then took them to the hospital.
House said that despite the loss close to her house, she does not go anywhere.
“It’s going to spend a lot of time, but we’ll get it,” said House. “We are going to recover everything to normal, and we will stay here. This is our neighborhood. And we will stay here.”
