Tornadoes cause damage, shock in Parkland neighborhood

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - The National Weather Service has confirmed tornadoes hit Louisville and Harrison County, Ind. during the round of storms Thursday.

Ida Grace and her family were waiting for the storms to pass before heading out to celebrate Independence Day.

"It happened so fast," she said. "It sounded like a loud whoosh."

They have lived in the Parkland neighborhood for two years and have seen their fair share of storms. This one was different.

"We've had a lot of wind damage before, but that tree was pretty strong," Ida said pointing at the uprooted tree in her yard. "That was a tornado."

An EF-1 tornado with winds of 95 miles per hour hit between 28th Street and Woodland Avenue between Catalpa and Cypress Streets in the Parkland neighborhood Thursday afternoon, the NWS said.

Block after block of downed trees covered roads. The storm even ripped part of the roof off Shiloh Baptist Church.

Some of the worst damage was scattered in the 1300 block of Olive Street, where Theo Kenemore has lived his entire life.

"It usually don't hit over in this area man," he said. "So for it to hit, everyone is kind of shocked, in shock right now."

It is only the second known tornado in Jefferson County in the month of July. The only other known one touched down on July 27, 1997 southeast of Jeffersontown.

A second tornado hit Harrison County with an estimated path stretching for a mile starting on IN-135 between Sky Air Road and the IN-335 intersection and ending on Tee Road north of Corydon.

That tornado was an EF-0 with peak winds of 80 miles per hour.

No injuries were reported.

"I mean it could have went a whole different route," Ida said. "I'm grateful that it did not."