MAYFIELD, Ky. – Two years after the deadliest tornado outbreak in Kentucky history, Mayfield tornado survivors still struggle to recover.
Steps are all that’s left of one of the churches in downtown Mayfield. Two years have gone by after 24 people lost their lives on that fateful December day when the EF-4 tornado ravaged the region.
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It is pain and progress as so many people are still grappling with what happened. Walking the streets of Mayfield. You realize immediately the past two years in this Kentucky town have been strenuous.
“We don’t ever want to forget those 24 Graves County people who are no longer with us,” said Mayfield Mayor Kathy Steard O’Nan. “We can rebuild everything. All it takes is money and time.”
The long-track tornado that tore across the downtown leveled nearly every structure today. The debris fields are mostly removed, though. One building stands, falling apart on the interior. Office materials stand in the same place they were two years ago as the tornado toppled buildings. Christmas decorations on the ground, walls and ceilings are crumbling.
“The mental toll, it was tough there in the initial response, but it’s been equally as challenging during the recovery. The community will come back. It’s going to take time,” said Mayfield Fire Chief Jeremy Creason.
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“There are challenges with FEMA with disaster recovery. There are challenges economically. The cost to rebuild for most people far surpasses what they were able to collect on insurance for their properties,” he continued. “So, inflation has played a pretty significant role in people’s ability to rebuild. It’s a different type of stress right now than those initial first days. But the stress is still here, two years later.”
A restaurant called the Barn opened up just six months after the tornado. And still today, they remain one of the only businesses downtown giving hope one meal at a time.
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“I felt like we were going to be the first ones opened, and things would quickly grow around us,” said tornado survivor and Barn owner Suzanne Flint. “And as you can see, there’s nothing growing around us. Still, two years later.”
The tornado destroyed the eatery in Flint’s family for 67 years. She told local media that the only thing salvageable from the original restaurant was a 50-year-old biscuit pan.
Mayfield’s first responders and heroes, the fire department, just opened up a temporary station last month.
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“I started requesting that temporary facility the third week of December in 2021, about ten days after the tornado,” Creason said. “And it took two years to get a temporary facility.”
Six months after the deadly tornado, 10 inches of rain fell across Graves County, flooding what was left of the town.
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More than $5 million in federal funding is going to help build dozens of new homes around town. Progress can be seen, but for many, it’s not happening fast enough.
“I know a lot of it was paperwork and permits and the economy, interest rates. I know a lot of people aren’t wanting to jump in and do anything right now. And I don’t blame them. You know, I probably wouldn’t have if I had to do it again. I probably wouldn’t do it either,” said Flint
“Mayfield just needs jobs. We needed jobs before the tornado though,” she continued. “I mean, to bring the people back and get them working. For Mayfield to grow at all, we need jobs.”