Guests at Cumberland Falls Hit by Severe Weather Save Email Print
Posted: 9:15 PM May 11, 2008
Last Updated: 11:26 PM May 11, 2008
Reporter: Jeff Allen/WYMT


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High winds, heavy rain and even one confirmed tornado were part of severe weather blowing through the state on May 11.

Perhaps the hardest hit area was at the Cumberland Falls State Resort Park in Whitley County.

It was about 10:00 a.m. on May 11 when more than 100 people staying here in the Cumberland Falls State Park got a rude awakening, and an adventure they'll never forget.

"It started raining really hard," recalled Susana Salazar, who was staying in a cottage when the storm hit.

"And my mom was like 'go to the bathroom, go to the bathroom,' and we all started crawling in there."

The heavy wind was blowing several huge trees in these park cottages down to the ground.

"Everybody was so scared, went out and saw the big tree and thought if it fell towards us, we would've been dead, so we're lucky God was with us," exclaimed Salazar.

Most of the more than 100 park visitors had sturdy structures to ride out the destructive winds.

But some were camping out in tents.

"There was a huge one that fell right in front of our tent, we had a little tent," stated camper Kevin Tolson.

"A tree fell right behind that so it missed us. We're lucky not to be hurt."

The storm delayed many people's Mother's Day plans.

One family was just trying to get through the park on Highway 90.

"Mother's Day and my dad's birthday, so we were trying to scoot over," said motorist Angel Baum.

"We are waiting it out until they clear some of the debris."

Power and phone lines are down all over, and crews are having to clear trees from roads and off many cars.

But officials say considering the heavy damage.

"It could've been a lot worse than it was," said Jerry Rains, with KY Emergency Management.

"We were very fortunate there were no injuries or deaths from the damage."

Officials with the National Weather Service are surveying the damage at the park to determine exactly what blew through the area.

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