Pulaski County families recovering after being hammered by Tuesday’s severe storms

SOMERSET, Ky. ( FOX 56 ) — Families in Pulaski County are recovering from major damage left behind by Tuesday’s severe weather. Some are still processing the heartbreaking aftermath.

“When everything came down and the tree branch hit, I’ll keep saying it was by the grace of God, not a scratch, not a bruise,” said Kaylee Brandt, a survivor of the storms in Somerset.

Brandt told FOX 56 that Tuesday was a routine day for her family at the Happy Camper RV Park in Somerset, until a severe storm came barreling through.

A tree crashed through their camper with Brandt and her young daughter inside. She said it miraculously missed her little girl but hit her hard, leaving a 7-inch cut on her arm.

“My husband’s a first responder,” said Brandt. “So, he instantly jumped into action and called for help while he grabbed a dog leash to start a tourniquet on my arm. And I was paying attention to my daughter to keep my focus, to make sure that she was okay. And like I said, thank the good Lord above.”

The storm has displaced the Brandt family from their home, with eight holes and water damage left behind to repair inside the camper. It also knocked out the electricity.

She said the experience was frightening, but they are overwhelmed by the support they’re receiving from family and friends.

“Before we could even pull out in an ambulance, they were making sure that our home had been tarped to make sure that no more damage was going to be done. They made sure that my daughter was going to be okay as she went with my husband,” Brandt added.

A GoFundMe has been set up for the Brandt family to help them with repair expenses for their home.

Meanwhile, down the road at Lake Cumberland, Emily Smith and her family reached the dock just before the severe weather made its way across the lake.

“This was probably the worst that we’ve seen yet,” said Smith.

She said the wind was unreal, causing their boat to crash onto the side of the dock after it blew the cover off of the top of the boat.

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“The dock started to tear up and then it dented the boat a bit,” said Smith. “And then, like I said, other people’s boats were just starting to come untied. Some of them were just swaying so heavily back and forth, just literally beating up on the docks.”

With more severe weather in the forecast, Smith said they do everything they can to prepare.

“Try and make sure that anything that could fly away and cause more damage is down and secure and just hope for the best.”

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