From Dusk to Dawn: How Kentucky Health Care Coalitions Served the Community During an Overnight Tornado

Kentucky
May 2025  

In the late evening on May 16, 2025, a powerful tornado struck Southern Kentucky, cutting a destructive path through several counties. As the Preparedness and Response Coordinator for the Southeast Kentucky Health Care Coalition (SEKY), Gail Timperio and her colleagues were already on high alert. Health care coalitions across the region had been communicating well before the tornado hit, exchanging weather information, coordinating with hospitals, and reaching out to emergency managers in anticipation of the tornado’s path. Thanks to years of preparedness training, drills, and collaboration, Ms. Timperio knew what to do.

The SEKY and the Healthcare Emergency Leaders for Preparedness (HELP) Health Care Coalitions were right in the path of the storm. Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response’s (ASPR) Hospital Preparedness Program provides funding and guidance to these Kentucky health care coalitions, along with hundreds of others across the nation. Health care coalitions unite local health care and response organizations to prepare for, respond to, and recover from threats and emergencies. With support from their member organizations, HELP and SEKY share plans and resources, conduct preparedness activities, and collaborate to respond to community needs during disasters and emergencies.

As part of the Hospital Preparedness Program, health care coalitions conduct regular exercises, including the annually required Medical Response and Surge Exercise. These functional exercises test and evaluate the capabilities of coalitions and their partners to respond to medical surge events in which health care entities must evaluate and care for a volume of patients that exceeds normal operating capacity. Just two months before the tornado, SEKY conducted a Medical Response and Surge Exercise, and HELP completed one the very day before the disaster struck. These exercises played a pivotal role in equipping the Kentucky health care coalitions with the resources, skills, and relationships needed to respond to the tornado. The coalitions’ recent Medical Response and Surge Exercises fostered direct communication channels and practical experience in mobilizing resources so that when the tornado struck, coalition members had confidence to coordinate swiftly.

As coalition leaders started receiving weather alerts about the storm’s path, they began alerting hospitals, emergency responders, and local partners. The coalitions worked closely with local

emergency management, maintaining open and responsive communication. When the tornado touched down, coalition leaders began fielding numerous calls and messages from hospitals, emergency management services, and other response partners. The storm’s arrival in this rural area late at night posed unique communication and mobilization challenges, as power outages, limited reliable cell service, and the need to reach off-duty responders added hurdles for emergency teams trying to mobilize. Thanks to their recent Medical Response and Surge Exercises, the coalitions knew what to do and who to call. They responded quickly, relying on their established relationships with partners throughout the region to connect community members with life-saving care.

In Laurel County, SEKY’s first call came from the director of the emergency department at a local rural hospital that was facing a surge of over 80 patients within an hour or so after the tornado hit the area. They needed help transporting patients to the nearest trauma center, and helicopter evacuation transport was not possible due to damage from the storm. SEKY sent out a call for help to emergency medical services (EMS) agencies across the eight-county region and worked with the Kentucky State Emergency Operations Center to mobilize ambulance strike teams to support patient transport. The coalition also activated its extensive partner network to recruit assistance. During the response, 21 off-duty emergency department staff traveled from neighboring hospitals to assist. At the hospital, responders set up three triage areas to manage the wave of trauma patients, and clinicians and support staff worked through the night to save lives and treat 106 patients during the night.

The tornado’s devastation was immense, with several casualties and over 280 homes destroyed Nearly 200 more homes suffered severe damage, and over 130 suffered minor damage. Scattered debris blocked major highways including Interstate 75, impeding local traffic and complicating the arrival of federal support teams. During this time of limited access, SEKY and HELP engaged their networks to maintain supply chains and provide essential services, supplies, equipment, and medications via mobile health units from local hospitals and health departments. These efforts helped responders to quickly and safely reach community members in need of assistance to provide lifesaving care.

Meanwhile, as first responders worked to reach impacted communities, HELP focused on deploying resources to areas in need in Russell County and Pulaski County. The coalition called on existing relationships with county EMS, hospitals, and emergency management partners to organize the deployment of an ambulance bus, a large vehicle able to transport multiple patients simultaneously, community shelter supplies, generators, shower trailers, oxygen tanks, and other medical supplies. When the Laurel County Coroner’s office lost power, HELP worked with partners outside of their region to stage a portable morgue unit at the hospital, enabling responders to properly store the bodies of the deceased. Many of these resources came from other health care coalitions within the state, highlighting the value of establishing partnerships before disaster strikes.

By daylight, the magnitude of the destruction was clear, but so was the success of the response. Over 100 patients received lifesaving care, a testament to the efficiency of disaster response protocols and the strength of coalition partnerships. However, the mental health toll on survivors, first responders, and health care workers was immediate and profound. The Kentucky Community Crisis Response Team activated to support community members, and the coalitions assisted in

disseminating information about counseling services throughout the affected areas, highlighting the coalitions’ commitment to comprehensive community care that includes both physical and psychological support.

Following the response, SEKY learned that older populations were disproportionately impacted by the disaster. To address identified gaps in digital access, emergency responders and coalitions adapted essential communication strategies to also rely on landlines and direct outreach when communicating with people who needed assistance following the disaster. This enabled SEKY and its partners to better serve the impacted older population who needed further assistance with health care and recovery, checking that nobody was left behind in the aftermath of the disaster.

The Kentucky health care coalitions, prepared through years of regular exercises and collaboration, coordinated across county lines to lead this lifesaving response. As the region continues to rebuild following this devastating storm, the Kentucky health care coalitions serve as an example of the power of collaboration, preparedness, and building trust long before disaster strikes.