LONDON, Ky. — As a powerful tornado moved toward Laurel County late Friday, Zach Wilson drove through the storms to get to his parents.

Barbourville Road was down to one lane in front of Slate Hill Baptist Church just outside of London, Ky. in Laurel County Sunday, May 18, 2025 as utility workers made repairs from down lines on the road. Two days earlier, thunderstorms and a deadly tornado ripped through the Southern Kentucky community destroying many homes.

One of the biggest concerns that we have is that you’re in this debris in high winds and it becomes a projectile, and it injures or kills somebody.”