SOMERSET, Ky. — While Laurel County experienced the most tornado-related deaths, it wasn’t the only southern Kentucky county experiencing widespread destruction. Somerset, 30 miles west of London, was in the storm’s path first and the tornado was just as destructive there.

What You Need To Know

  • Somerset and Pulaski County took a direct hit in Friday's tornado 

  • Monday residents continued clearing their homes of debris 

  • Some homes along Bourbon Road are completely destroyed 

  • The Salvation Army distributed warm lunches and dinners to people affected by the tornado

Vickie Ramsey and her husband spent Monday clearing their daughter’s yard from debris.

“We kept hearing reports of Bourbon Road, Bourbon Road and so we knew it was bad here and we just didn’t know until the next morning how devastating it really was,” Ramsey said.

The home was Ramsey’s grandparent’s home. Her daughter had just purchased the home hadn’t moved in yet. Most of the damage was to trees in the backyard.

“It’s very remarkable, it was the Lord’s hand just that it went by the way that it did that it saved her house and the neighbor’s house,” Ramsey said.

However, other homes on Bourbon Road were not spared. The two homes next door were destroyed, one of them built by Ramsey’s parents. She said it was heartbreaking to return on Saturday morning and see the destruction.

Homes in Somerset, Kentucky had siding and roofs torn off by tornadoes on May 16, 2025. (Spectrum News 1/Austin Schick)

“You can’t even grasp the devastation in pictures until you see it in real life,” Ramsey said.

Downed trees are in heaps after a tornado hit Somerset, Kentucky on May 16, 2025. (Spectrum News 1/Austin Schick)

Ramsey said neighbors and churches, including The Creek Church down the road, have been offering to help all weekend. Monday, The Creek Church allowed the Salvation Army to distribute meals to those affected by the tornado.

“A lot of the people that are coming through, their house is relatively fine, the property is fine but they’re anticipating not having power for a whole week and some have been quoted even longer,” said Judah Irvin a lieutenant with the Salvation Army of Danville.

Irvin said even in the face of darkness, people have been grateful.

“You see hope around. You don’t see devastation. Yes, the destruction is there, but the community is coming together, and the Salvation Army and other agencies and organizations are coming together and it’s really a beautiful site to see,” Irvin said.

The Salvation Army plans on being in Pulaski and Laurel Counties as needs persist.

Of the 19 Kentuckians who died because of Friday night’s tornado, one was a woman in Pulaski County.

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