Several historic buildings in downtown Hopkinsville suffered damage from a late Friday night storm that moved through Hopkinsville.
The thunderstorm moved through southern Trigg County and into Christian County without any warnings issued by the National Weather Service. Most of the damage occurred around 10:45. Emergency Manager Randy Graham said the worst damage occurred in the historic downtown district, especially around 6th Street and The Mixer restaurant.
click to download audioThe three-story building that housed the Mixer was built in 1898 and was the iconic Young Hardware until its closure in 2018.
The Hopkinsville Fire Department reported two employees were inside The Mixer at the time of the partial collapse. They were able to safely evacuate and were unharmed.
East 6th Street is closed to through traffic between South Virgina and South Main streets.
In addition, the Woody Winfree Transportation Museum which is home to Hopkinsville’s historic clock tower suffered structural damage. The clock tower was erected in late 1926, two years after construction was completed on the new fire station, after the previous one burned to the ground.
Graham said there were numerous reports of damage across the city.
click to download audioMayor J.R. Knight said he witnessed severe damage throughout the city and asked people to stay away from downtown while the damage is assessed and cleaned up.
click to download audioHe said first responders were working to try and locate people who may have been trapped in homes and buildings.
Hopkinsville Electric System and Energynet General Manager Jeff Hurd said at the height of the storm, they reported over half of the city customers without power. That ranged anywhere from about 7,000 to 9,000 customers.
click to download audioThe National Weather Service has been made aware of the damage in downtown Hopkinsville and will soon decide whether to send a storm survey team to investigate what type of storm caused the damage as well as the velocity of the winds that accompanied it.