Officials report minor damage following severe storms, high winds overnight

There was some havoc throughout the area early Wednesday morning due to storms, but officials say damage was relatively minor and no one was injured.

The most significant damage was seen at Kroger Station shopping center where a large section of the roof of the building was blown off over Mr. Gatti’s Pizza.

Area firefighters reported winds reaching speeds of 60 mph at one point.

“There were several trees down and so forth, but nothing major was called in,” said Whitley County Emergency Management Director Danny Moses, who noted that the area of the county between Williamsburg and Corbin was hit the hardest.

“Most of the trees down were in the northern part of the county above Exit 15,” Moses said adding that it was all the result of straight line winds.

Woodbine Fire Department Battalion Chief Rickie Fore said firefighters were out throughout the morning clearing downed trees.

“There were no buildings down or anything,” Fore said of the damage in the Woodbine Fire District adding that a friend, who lives in the Emlyn area, reported that the swingset in the back yard was turned over.

“It was cemented into the ground,” Fore explained.