Help arrives in Kentucky by stew, chainsaw and accommodation by Reuters

Author: Gabriella Borter

MAYFIELD, Ky. (Reuters) – Residents across Kentucky have offered shelter to friends who lost their homes due to deadly tornadoes, strangers appeared with chainsaws to clear fallen trees and restaurants handed out gift cards for hot meals to those without water or electricity.

As the state emerged from a devastating turn that killed at least 74 people and destroyed or damaged 1,000 homes, courtesy actions arrived on Monday, both large and small.

Many were overwhelmed by the farming and manufacturing community of the 10,000-person working class in Mayfield, western Kentucky, where residents said they all knew each other and that families had been there for generations.

SRM Concrete’s Utley colleagues took action after tornadoes destroyed their home. On Sunday, stewed wood and beef were handed a large pot to Utley, the company’s concrete truck driver since June.

On Monday, nine co-workers helped him sift through the debris to save what was left of his belongings. They pulled out Christmas presents and family souvenirs from the fallen roofs and walls, and opened the doors of the car that was partially buried under the house.

“Being out here, taking time out of their day to come and help me, means the world to me,” Utley, 32, said of the sound of a chainsaw.

Ricky Murphy, 41, said he barely knew his hometown from Louisville, Kentucky, to see his mother and siblings immediately after the storm and to participate in the cleanup efforts.

The city’s water tower, a long part of its flat landscape, was leveled. Many historic buildings in its small town center, some dating back to the 19th century. century, they became piles of bricks.

On Monday, Murphy was helping to distribute clothes, food, and supplies outside Fairview Baptist Church, where he grew up attending Black Church, where a temporary donation center was set up.

“People are donating shoes, people are donating clothes, people are donating money, resources, housing or whatever,” he said with the generosity he observed.

CREATE DONATIONS

Similar scenes occurred in Kentucky, where officials said it could take a week or more to count the death and destruction of the state and several other tornadoes on Friday night.

Governor Andy Beshear’s call for volunteers to help clean up dishes and clothes for displaced people living in state park stations has sparked numerous calls from across the country, said Andy Kasitz, assistant director of Kentucky State Parks.

More than $ 30 million in donations have been made to a state tornado relief fund. The governor said the first portion of the money would be used to help cover funeral costs, that each family would receive $ 5,000, and that the state would ask the funeral home to limit the cost by that amount.

At Bowling Green, 135 miles (217 km) east of Mayfield, restaurants raised more than $ 50,000 for free meals for tornado victims on Monday evenings, said Josh Poling, owner of Hickory & Oak Grill.

Katina Miner, a 40-year-old lawyer, said four walnuts and maple trees that fell in the storm had crushed half of her home near downtown Bowling Green.

After spending two nights with friends, he arrived at his home on Monday, where he found about 15 people, some with chainsaws and others with fallen limbs in their socks, washing his family’s belongings.

“We don’t know some of the neighbors, some of them church members, and some of us don’t even know them,” Miner said. “We’re really blessed with all of this. Things can be replaced. We’re safe.”

Back in Mayfield, Tammie Bugg, 59, was on a busy street corner on Monday with members of her church, First Baptist, throwing coffee cups and walking to the windows of all cars and emergency vehicles.

Many of the recipients who worked all weekend were overwhelmed with emergency responses. The coffee was a small gesture that made them smile.

“And that’s what we need,” Bugg said.