Gov. Andy Beshear (D-KY) holds press briefing as severe storms threaten his state.
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NewsTranscript
00:00I'll be joined by our new director of Kentucky Division of Emergency Management,
00:04Eric Gibson, and State Highway Engineer James Ballinger to provide an update on severe
00:11and concerning weather that right now has started moving into the Commonwealth. Later this afternoon,
00:18very serious concerns. Wednesday afternoon, very serious concerns moving into Thursday morning.
00:25So I think the people of the Commonwealth of Kentucky should know we are under a severe
00:30weather threat, really beginning later today through Thursday morning. Our number one priority
00:38is to make sure that everyone stays safe. We know severe weather can come quickly,
00:43and this weather has the possibility of tornadoes, potentially significant tornadoes, of hail,
00:50of high winds, and of flooding. We have been through all of those, and we have seen how deadly
00:56they can be. So we need everyone to take action now by making a plan to keep yourself and your
01:02family safe. I want to start by saying the National Weather Service calls this a very
01:09concerning forecast, one of the most concerning forecasts that they have seen in a while. Let's
01:15put up our first slide. According to the National Weather Service, straight line winds, large hail,
01:21flash flooding, and tornadoes will be possible with today's storms, especially into the mid to
01:28late afternoon and evening. The severe storm threat will continue into Wednesday with other
01:35rounds of storms during the day, evening, and overnight. And we'll get into this in a minute,
01:40but both today and tomorrow, our biggest concern is after 4 p.m. into the evening. Everybody needs
01:49to make sure they have an emergency weather radio, because one of our biggest concerns is tornadoes
01:55or flooding in the late night hours. You need to be weather aware and make sure you can get
02:01that information even after you've gone to bed. Let's do the next round, the next slide. Okay,
02:08this is today, Tuesday. We're about to have a round come through that, while it could be
02:14significant, we are not as concerned with as the round of weather coming later today. We still think
02:20around 4 p.m.-ish. There will be multiple rounds of strong to severe thunderstorms starting this
02:27afternoon and continuing well into the overnight hours. I just want everybody to take a look at
02:33this, right? And you'll see how it contrasts with Wednesday. This is the threats confidence where,
02:39you know, there is almost a medium level threat of tornadoes today. There is between medium and
02:46high level threats of hail and wind, and low to medium of flooding. When you look across Kentucky,
02:53almost all of us are at least in slight risk. And then we start worrying about the three, which is
02:59the enhanced risk, and we think the forecast will likely only get worse as the days go on. But think
03:06about the large portion of Kentucky that lives in that enhanced risk area, from E-town to Louisville,
03:12Frankfurt to Lexington. I'm taking this seriously. This is where my family lives, and I hope everyone
03:19else will take it seriously too. Again, very large hail. We think it could be two inches even, and the
03:28potential for tornadoes. We'll really be watching after this first round comes through whether the
03:33sun comes out. It'll be better if it's cloudy. That's less charge that's out there. We've seen,
03:40like we did on our last round of 20 plus tornadoes, what happens when the sun comes out
03:45in between. Again, Tuesday night, that is tonight, be concerned when you go to bed about how you will
03:54get the information if there is a warning. These warnings come really fast. The way these storms
03:59can develop, it can happen very quickly. I want to thank our meteorologists, all of our news teams
04:05that are out there, how seriously they're taking this, and we'll take it. So make sure you're
04:10prepared. Let's go to slide three. Okay, so this is again Tuesday, and it's really showing you
04:17parts of Kentucky where the yellow is already serious, but when you get the
04:24slashes that are here, we don't get those very often in Kentucky. So the first image shows golf
04:31ball size or larger hail possibilities. That is a large part of Kentucky that can damage vehicles,
04:39homes, and property. Agricultural damage is possible, as well as injury to those caught
04:45outside. Listen, when these hit, you do not want to be outside, and we'll talk about that in a
04:50minute. It will need people inside and off the roads, because if we have really damaging
04:55thunderstorms, if we have tornadoes, emergency vehicles will need to get to places as quickly
05:01as possible. The second image shows where we could see up to 70 mile per hour wind that can cause
05:08tree damage. Obviously, those trees can go into your home, they can down power lines,
05:13they can damage cars, they can damage you if you are out there close enough to it. This is almost
05:18all of Kentucky where we could see straight line winds of 70 miles an hour or more. And then the
05:25last piece shows where significant tornadoes are possible. Typically, when you have that area that
05:32we're talking about, the yellow with the slashes, that's EF2 or higher. Those are very damaging
05:39tornadoes. But remember, even the brown area is very possible to get these tornadoes, and we saw
05:46them not long ago when we would see, you know, short duration tornadoes. But we had over 22 during
05:53one day in Kentucky in early April. Remember that while we saw a lot of damage, we didn't have many
06:03injuries during that because people were weather aware. We need you to be just as weather aware
06:08this afternoon into thursday morning because this early forecast is worse than the forecast we
06:15received before that event. All right, now let's go into Wednesday. Let's say we're concerned about
06:21today. We're very concerned about Wednesday. Wednesday, we expect to see scattered severe
06:29storms again Wednesday afternoon. Right now we think four p.m ish, but that will change
06:34depending on how quickly this moves across the country. And so we will be providing more updates,
06:40but check with your local meteorologist. Make sure you are watching the news. This is very capable
06:47of tornadoes, very large hail and damaging winds. Again, look down here Wednesday.
06:54The tornado confidence is between medium and high. That should be concerning to everyone.
07:01The hail confidence between medium and high, the wind confidence between medium and high.
07:06And then again, there's the flooding. But as we are moving especially into late Wednesday night,
07:11early thursday morning, we may have had so much rain that these flood confidence change. It all
07:18depends on how much a given area gets. So make sure you're watching, you know, Tuesday, Wednesday
07:25and going into thursday morning when we could see more of that. There is a belief that we may
07:32move from a three to even a four. You know, the three is the enhanced risk. The four is the moderate
07:39risk, which is the second highest. It only goes to five and we're at a two or a three across most
07:46of the state. This three goes all the way into western Kentucky, which you can't fully see. The
07:51two goes all the way through eastern Kentucky. Strong tornadoes, EF twos or greater cannot be
07:59ruled out. Additional storms possibly in the form of a squall line are expected Wednesday night
08:05with all severe hazards still possible. Remember in that weather system in uh in early April,
08:12we didn't lose an individual during the tornadoes. We lost them during that initial squall when
08:17someone when they were out on the roads and just that intense rain caused a car accident where we
08:22lost a young man. So be careful during this. Let's go to the next slide again. This shows you
08:33exactly how significant of an event we are looking at. There's enhanced risk of severe
08:39thunderstorms. That is a three out of five for eastern Kentucky on Wednesday and Wednesday night.
08:46The tornado risk is greatest generally near the west of interstate 75. But look again at the hail
08:52probability that covers most of the commonwealth. That again is in the red with the severity over
09:00top. The wind probability now covering most all of the state. Look at the confidence in that 70
09:07mile an hour winds. You don't have to have a tornado to topple some trees to lose some parts
09:11of roofs to have power lines come down and then look at the tornado possibility especially for
09:17western Kentucky. You've been through this a lot. Make sure that you are prepared uh and ready
09:23because again this is significant and we believe that that it could get more significant as we go.
09:29We'll see a lot today about where this weather system is. Let's go to the next one. Okay we
09:37could see a lot of rain. This is probably the most uncertain piece but the confidence is still
09:43medium that we will have uh flooding chances. Uh we we don't we we think it could create flash
09:50floods and some of the initial storms but our biggest concern is the amount of rain that we
09:55could get over a two day or a two day and change period of time. Some areas could have multiple
10:01rounds of heavy downpours and storms. We're talking about one to three inches of rainfall
10:05with higher amounts possible. So remember if you are out on the roadways and you uh hit flooding,
10:14turn around and don't drown. We've lost far too many people thinking that they could get through
10:19something. It's not worth it. You love your family a lot more than where you're trying to get to.
10:25Turn around. Don't drive through flooded areas. Nighttime flooding is especially dangerous. Also
10:32much harder to get to you if you are swept away or or in a dangerous position. Let's hit the next
10:38one. So we are asking everyone to take action now and to be specifically ready for nighttime
10:46severe weather including nighttime tornadoes. We've lived through this. We wish we hadn't
10:52and remember in 2021 we lost 81 people in in the worst tornado event that uh the state's
10:59ever seen decimated Mayfield. It took a lot of lives in Bremen, pretty much destroyed my dad's
11:05hometown of Dawson Springs and they are all rebuilding. But it tells you how concerning
11:11that nighttime tornadoes can be. Nighttime flooding hit eastern Kentucky in really tough
11:17ways at Nicholas County um uh several years before. So you need a weather radio or other means
11:25of getting those alerts if that means pulling the phone into your bedroom if you don't normally put
11:30it there. So Kentuckians can listen to weather warnings by having an NOAA weather radio,
11:35listening to local tv and radio updates, connecting to wireless emergency alerts and weather apps,
11:42listening for outdoor sirens, visiting weather.gov or mobile.weather.gov or receiving notifications
11:49from family, friends and co-workers. Be prepared tonight and tomorrow night, protect your family,
11:58protect yourself. If you don't have a weather radio, go get one today before 4 p.m. Make sure
12:04you have batteries for it. Again, let's go to the next slide. Turn around, don't drown. I keep
12:12thinking about making it through all the most difficult parts of these weather emergencies and
12:18then losing people to carbon monoxide by having a generator too close to your house or people
12:22trying to drive through a flooded area and losing them then. These are all avoidable, right? It's not
12:28a tornado tearing through your house, it is avoidable. It's about making good decisions and
12:35and just having the the the right risk and tolerance. Your family, your friends, they love you,
12:42they want you to be here tomorrow. It's more important than where you think you need to get to
12:47going through a flooded area. A few other updates. We're taking this seriously enough
12:54to where we are going to close state office buildings beginning at 2 p.m. today to help make
13:00sure our state employees are able to make it home safely and what we're asking them is to be inside
13:07by 4 p.m. to have those roads clear. It's probably safer if you're inside a little bit earlier. It
13:13might not hit you until a little bit later but I know if we can get you know some part of our 20
13:19plus thousand employees home safe and off the road that our commonwealth is safer. Given tomorrow
13:27and given the weather pattern expected and trying to give people time to prepare, we're going to
13:31close our state office buildings on Wednesday at 2 p.m. as well. As the state government provides
13:38a lot of important services and we don't take this lightly but I've governed through tornadoes
13:43and floods and polar plunges and ice storms and just about anything else we've seen and I care
13:49about every single one of our employees. I care about every single Kentuckian out there and I
13:54would rather be safe and careful than to lose even one life. So again we're closing our state
14:02office buildings today at 2 p.m. and tomorrow Wednesday at 2 p.m. and we're going to be
14:07watching the forecast on Thursday morning. I expect that we'll be able to come in as normal
14:13but if you are a state employee, watch for for updates. If you've got to push it back just a
14:18little bit, we might do that just to make sure you're safe. Now we've got a lot of folks that
14:23will have to be in because they're the folks that respond to events like this. They're emergency
14:28management which does a great job. There are transportation cabinet that does a great job.
14:33There are cut teams in forestry and others that are that are out there. Our Kentucky Emergency
14:39Operations Center has been activated and essential partners are standing by to provide support as
14:45needed. So again we urge Kentuckians in need of a safe place to contact their local emergency
14:51management office or official. If you don't know where you'd go if there was a tornado, if where
14:57you typically stay isn't safe, find out now. Find out this morning. Make sure you know where to go.
15:05For additional preparedness tips, visit kyem.ky.gov. Now you're going to hear from Kentucky
15:11Division of Emergency Management Eric Gibson followed directly by State Highway Engineer James
15:17Ballinger. Well good morning and thank you Governor Beshear for the valuable information
15:28that you prepared prepared today. We do have a significant weather event according to all our
15:33partners at the National Weather Service and it is important that we prepare. Kentucky Emergency
15:38Management is going to be operating at a heightened awareness during this period. We will have staff
15:44on scene at the office building during this event. By activating now we will increase our
15:49situational awareness for the event. It'll ensure faster response times in case there is a need
15:55and we'll have good lines of clear communication to our citizens. We'll also have proactive recovery
16:01measures in place in case there is a loss. We'll continue to work with the National Weather Service
16:06as we watch this storm coming across our commonwealth and we will continue to keep this
16:12Emergency Operations Center open until the storm passes through the commonwealth.
16:17Just remember during this time to be weather aware, secure your property, stay updated. The
16:24weather radio that was mentioned by the Governor is very valuable to updates throughout the night
16:28while you're sleeping. Check on your loved ones and follow the local guidance. It will be updated
16:35as the storm is passing through. During this time if you were to experience a damage to your home or
16:41property, please document that and report that before beginning any of the cleanup efforts. By
16:46doing that, that documentation will be vital for the recovery assistance programs that are available
16:52and for improving future preparedness. The safety of each Kentuckian is our top priority.
16:57We're here to support the citizens of the commonwealth and provide the most updated
17:01information that we have. Please take all warnings seriously and prepare accordingly.
17:06We will continue to provide updates throughout the day as the situation
17:09updates and thank you very much.
17:18Thank you Governor and given the potential for the severe weather that's expected over
17:23the next couple of days though, our state highway crews are on high alert. We're monitoring the
17:27weather and in fact we just held a statewide meeting just before I came to this press event
17:34to discuss our plans and our preparation for the upcoming weather event over the next couple
17:39of days. If we experience a wind event, our crews will respond should downed trees
17:46or other debris impact travel on our state maintained routes due to the high winds.
17:51If you're on the road during a high wind event, slow down, keep your hands on the wheel and keep
17:57a safe distance from other cars, especially the large semi trucks that you may see on the roadway.
18:04Or even better, just safely pull over if you're out in the weather and you have a high wind event
18:09that you're experiencing. Another thing if we experience the water or the flooding that the
18:15governor talked about, crews are going to be monitoring for this high water on our roadways
18:19and we'll place barricades and signs though as needed, but the most important thing though is
18:24to turn around and don't drown. It only takes just a few inches of water on a roadway that
18:30could float a vehicle, so that's the main thing I'm going to reiterate that turn around don't drown.
18:38Also depending on the severity of the storms, our roadways could be blocked by downed power lines.
18:44The main thing is there's a reported downed power line to your utility company and do not try to
18:48clear that yourself though. It's just really important though to avoid touching any downed
18:55power lines that you may experience. Also remember that power outages could affect our traffic
19:02signals. Should you encounter a dark traffic signal, the most important thing to do is treat that
19:08intersection as a four-way stop. That way you can maintain your safety and the safety of other
19:14drivers and motorists on the highway. Again our utility, our highway crews and the utility companies
19:21will respond to storm damage just as quickly as we possibly can, but we also have to look
19:26at the safety of our crews. It takes time, so we ask for your patience as we respond to these weather
19:32events over the next couple of days. Mainly though, avoid travel when it's not safe and please watch
19:39out for our crews and the other first responders that you may experience though after the storm
19:44event has passed. Thank you.
19:52So in summary over the next couple of days, late afternoon into the evening, we fully expect
19:58intense rain, hail and high winds and there is certainly the possibility of significant
20:07tornadoes. So think about what you need to do. Get in the car or in the garage if you have it.
20:13Making sure you get any lawn furniture because it's been nice inside. Making sure you get your
20:19pets out before the intense weather is coming. Making sure you have that weather radio. Knowing
20:25where your kids are and making sure they are in a safe place. You know, go through that list in your
20:30head. This is why we've been safe through a lot of very difficult weather events. It's being weather
20:36aware and having seen the worst of the worst. Making sure that we are careful. With that, I
20:42think we have just one journalist on the line and that's Tom Latek.
20:51Thank you very much, Governor. Good morning to you. I've got a couple questions. Do we have any,
20:57first of all, do we have any Kentucky National Guard folks been put on standby or activated?
21:03And secondly, have you heard anything from Washington yet on your request for a disaster
21:09declaration from last month's severe weather? So we have not heard about last month's severe
21:17weather declaration. We were at least initially denied for the Carroll, Tremble,
21:24Gallatin County event that came before it. We will appeal that. But haven't heard back as of yet
21:32on this most recent one. At this point, we haven't activated National Guard. Now we have the active
21:38on duty National Guard that is always on duty over at the Emergency Operations Center,
21:44and we're going to be watching. You know, the forecast is still a little bit in flux.
21:48We want to see what happens, especially after this first line comes through. And then we'll
21:55be watching some of the early indications that we see what happens on our roadways. Our certainly
22:02our hope is that we'll get people home and off the roadways really before that 4 p.m. time when
22:08we think that this will hit and hit significantly. All right, everybody, stay safe. We care about
22:15each and every one of you. We've seen what happens here. We've seen pictures out of Oklahoma and
22:21other areas of severe weather recently. Be weather aware so that Thursday afternoon and Friday when
22:28it stops raining and hopefully the sun comes out, you'll be there making great memories with
22:33your family. Thank you all very much.