The Worst Storm to Ever Hit Kentucky Has Caused Devastation in Communities

Most of the midwest is still in shock from the devastating and deadly storms that ravaged through the area Friday into Saturday morning earlier this month. The rare December storm had sparked multiple tornadoes, which destroyed towns and killed dozens of people. 

Powerful winds caused extreme damage to towns, with buildings completely decimated across the midwest. There were at least 45 confirmed tornadoes that sprung up during the storm. The strongest wind gusts exceeded 100 miles an hour. The storms passed through Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Illinois, Mississippi, and Missouri, with the western part of Kentucky receiving the brunt of the storm. 

In Dawson Springs, Kentucky, Andy Hernandez, 87, and his 78 year old wife Betty are just beginning to pick up the pieces after their home was destroyed. They keep the few belongings they are left with along with some donations from their church in a truck. “We love that little house. But anyway, it’s totaled,” Betty said; three out of every four homes in Dawson Springs were destroyed. 

In Kentucky alone, at least 70 people have been declared dead so far. According to Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, the death toll may rise to over 100 people. The ages of the deceased range from 2 months to 98 years old. The mega storm is likely to have been the worst to ever hit the state. In Mayfield, Ketucky, at least eight people were killed when a candle factory was leveled. 

“It’s changed the landscape…here in Mayfield,” Kentucky State Police Lt. Dean Patterson said. “We’re seeing [destruction] that none of us have ever seen before.” 

Murray Holbrook, a town resident, was with two of his friends in the hallway of a house in Mayfield at the time of the storm. “I don’t know how I survived it,” Holbrook said. “It happened so quick…it sounded like two freight trains coming up on top of us.” The hallway collapsed leaving Holbrook pinned underneath heavy debris, leaving him trapped while his friends were able to escape to find help. “I could see the rain, I could still hear the wind. And debris and dust were just flying all around me,” he recalled. “I thought something else was going to drop on top of the wall and completely crush me. I was scared and I just knew that I was going to die.”A volunteer firefighter was able to free Holbrook of the debris and save his life. 

Mayfield resident Rick Foley was in his home when parts of his home collapsed on top of him. “I heard it coming,” he recalled. “My ears popped and everything just hit all at once. And I ducked down and just everything piled on top of me — all the debris.” Foley, covered in dirt and overwhelmed with shock, spent the rest of the night in his bed, with the walls of the bedroom torn apart. “I’m 70 years old and I got to start over,” he said, holding back tears. 

Another Mayfield resident, Steve Sasseen, huddled in a basement with neighbors, trying to protect themselves by putting laundry baskets and blankets over their heads. Once the storm was over all he could see was “haze and dust.” He went outside and found that the neighborhood “looked like a war zone.” “I’ve lived here all my life, and this is the worst thing I’ve ever had to go through,” Sasseen said. “I keep thinking it’s a nightmare and I’ll wake up.”

In the town of Gilbertsville, Kentucky, Wilbert Neil, 88, and his 63-year old son Jerry Neil narrowly survived the storm. Their house was completely destroyed and all of their belongings were buried under the rubble. Wilbert Neil was emotional when volunteers found old photographs of his 85-year old wife. According to the family, she has Alzheimer’s and has no idea that the house has been destroyed. Wilbert Neil said he couldn’t bring himself to tell her. “This was the dream house for my wife,” he said tearfully. ”We got it. She loved it. She’ll never see it again.”

In the week following the storm, President Biden surveyed the damages in Kentucky. He also signed an emergency declaration for the state on Saturday, which opened the door for the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other federal entities to organize relief efforts. “Whatever is needed, the federal government is going to find a way to supply it,” President Biden said. 

Governor Beshear reflected on the troubles faced by Kentucky this year. “I wish I understood why we’ve been hit by the pandemic, historic ice storm, flooding, and now the worst tornado in our history.” He added that “we’re going to grieve together, we’re going to dig out and clean up together and we will rebuild and move forward together.”