An unrelenting string of tornado cells bashed portions of Louisville Wednesday night, toppling power lines and damaging a host of barns at historic Churchill Downs that prompted officials to cancel Thursday's racing.
By Garry Jones, AP
A barn that houses horses for trainer William "Jinks" Fires, sustained severe damage from an apparent tornado touchdown at Churchill Downs in Louisville on Wednesday.
Funnel clouds tormented the Louisville area throughout the night, spilling out suspected tornadoes at several locations, including Harrison County, Ind.; Churchill; the University of Louisville Belknap Campus; Papa John's Cardinal Stadium.
That was followed by torrential rain that spilled several inches of rain across the area, stranding motorists and popping manhole covers because of overwhelmed sewer systems.
While no injuries were reported, thousands of people were without power Wednesday night. And Churchill officials were scurrying to make sure roughly 200 horses in the damaged barns weren't hurt.
"It's been a rugged night at Churchill Downs," said John Asher, track spokesman.
The track's landmark twin spires were unharmed. But roofs were torn off at least one barn, and the backside dormitory and chapel suffered damage.
Some horses had to be shipped to alternate sites, and training was also canceled.
"Clearly we've got several barns with significant damage and we're just trying to make sure people and the animals are safe first," track President Kevin Flanery said.
With up to nine barns with damage and horses shipped to alternate locations, training and racing for Thursday will be cancelled, officials said. There were 200 horses being housed in the nine barns.
The unexpected storms surprised city officials and meteorologists as a cold front to the west and north of Louisville warmed throughout the day, said Ryan Sharp, meteorologist with the National Weather Service Louisville.
The storms did not reach high into the atmosphere, meaning there was little lightning but enough rotation to cause several funnel clouds and many severe cells that continued to pop up.
"Anytime you get these low-top storms, you get a little bit surprised by them," Sharp said.
Security guards were turning away reporters, citing danger from the loose horses. Vans were being brought in to move horses out of torrential downpours, and at least one barn was flooded by a water main break, Asher said.
The Kentucky Derby, the first leg of horseracing's Triple Crown, has been run for more than 130 years at the track. Churchill Downs is in its spring meet, in which racing takes place Thursday through Sunday until July 4.
The track has a capacity to handle a crowd of some 160,000-plus for the Kentucky Derby.
The 136-year-old track, located in the southwestern part of Louisville, is owned by Churchill Downs Inc. It underwent extensive renovations in 2002 and 2003 totaling more than $200 million. A spokeswoman said Thursday's racing card was canceled.
In August 2009, a flash flood heavily damaged the Kentucky Derby Museum, situated just off Gate 1 at Churchill Downs. The museum was closed for nine months while it underwent a $5.5 million renovation.
No damage has been reported on the university campus, which is sparsely populated at this time of year, said John Drees, a university spokesman. Drees said there were reports of power outages around campus. Dwight Mitchell, spokesman for Louisville police, said two buildings were damaged near the campus, though.
Eyewitnesses said they saw about a dozen power poles downed near the track and university. A weather service team will determine whether a tornado or straight line winds did the damage. More than 7,600 customers were without power in Jefferson County where Louisville is located.
The worst damage appeared to be in the Churchill Downs area, said Chris Poynter, a spokesman for Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer.
Storm sirens wailed in Kentucky's largest city as multiple tornado warnings were issued as the storm went through.
Contributing: Jessie Halladay and Sean Rose, (Louisville) Courier-Journal; Associated Press
For more information about
reprints & permissions, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor
Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, sendto
letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to
corrections.usatoday.com.
We've updated the Conversation Guidelines. Changes include a brief review of the moderation process and an explanation on how to use the "Report Abuse" button.
Read more.
沒有留言:
張貼留言