On May 16, a major weather advisory was issued for the state of Kentucky.
This storm later on produced many tornados touching ground near Russell, Pulaski, and Laurel counties. One of the larger touchdowns was rated an EF-4 spreading up to almost a mile wide. Many lives were lost. At least 19 people were killed in the storm—17 in Laurel County, one in Pulaski County, and one in Russell County. In over 50 years the Somerset-London tornado was only the 6th EF-4 or EF-5 tornado in Kentucky.
There was one particular couple that had many viewers intrigued; their names were Paul and Gail Klein. It has been brought to people’s attention that their love story was compelling and one of a kind. The couple was from London Kentucky more specifically Laurel County. As the storm’s 70-mph winds roared, they clung to each other. However, the very force that tore their home apart also claimed their arms, each losing an opposite limb.
The Klein couple’s nieces, Brandy Bowman and Taylor Baker spoke to local news as they shared what was going on between the families. Brandy, one of the couple’s nieces, stated that “They were holding, like hugging each other”. Even though this story shows what true love is, the couple is still not in the best shape with Paul Klein recovering from the amputation of his arm below the elbow. His wife, however, remains in critical condition and on life support.
This amazing story has blew up overnight on many local news and even all over many social media apps which have helped raise awareness by starting a Go-Fund-Me, which raised over $50,000 to help take care of the financial burden of their extensive medical care and the monumental effort required to rebuild their home and in hope to replace almost everything. Both are ongoing stories.
