MAYFIELD, Ky. — The Mayfield tornado destroyed several buildings and homes, leaving very few places unscathed. The entire Mayfield Mobile Community is still standing after the violent tornado destroyed most of the town.
Residents in the mobile home community have little to no damage inside their homes, but they are one of thousands still without power and running water. According to poweroutage.us, as of Wednesday there are 5,298 people without power in Graves county, and 5,288 without running water.
What You Need To Know
- Kim Westerman, her brother Greg Westerman are residents of Mayfield Mobile Home Community
- The two felt a calling to leave when it started storming in Mayfield, but thankfully their homes saw very little damage
- Evelyn Totty, her husband Joey Totty are residents of Mayfield Mobile Home Community, the Westerman's neighbors
- The Tottys rode out the tornado in their mobile home hearing hail and high winds
Kim Westerman has lived in the Mayfield Mobile Home Community for 14 years with her brother and her cats. Although she did not grow up in Mayfield, it feels like home to her.
On Friday evening she was watching the news with her eyes glued to the television until it turned off due to lack of power. She could hear the tornado just outside of her mobile home and that’s when she says she "felt a calling" to gather her brother and her cats into her Toyota.
“These cats were so devastated too they didn’t know what was going on. They were hiding under our seats and they were scrunched down in the back seat,” said Westerman.
Westerman, her cats and her brother drove through the storm which felt like hours on end. Westerman has trouble seeing at night, so the entire drive was hard – her hands gripping the steering wheel. She returned back to her mobile home at midnight, not knowing if it would still be standing.
“We didn’t make it back home until midnight and didn’t know if we were going to have a home when we got back. But thank God we’ve got a home, it’s here,” said Westerman.
The Mayfield tornado struck a few miles away and left their entire mobile home community untouched. Westerman’s mobile home had no damage at all, but she’s been left without power and running water.
“I can’t explain how beautiful it is. I was so thankful to Jesus, I got out of my car. I just looked up to heaven and screamed thank you Jesus, thank you Jesus. We pulled into the driveway and the relief that I felt that my home was still here.”
Every single mobile home is still standing at the Mayfield Mobile Home Community, and many say it’s a miracle. Evelyn Totty has lived in the mobile home community for thirty years. Evelyn takes care of her sick husband Joey Totty who is house-bound.
Evelyn heard hail and high winds during the tornado. The Totty’s have a few branches in their yard, one that pierced their roof. Without power Evelyn Totty has to charge her cellphone in her car.
“As long as the light is still green. Is it still green? Yeah, OK there it is! I’m praying it doesn’t drain my battery because it’s the only vehicle I got right now," she said.
Evelyn and Greg Totty heard the tornado and feared the worst would come to them and leave them in the tornado's path.
“Right there is where that limb is, right there above my Christmas tree. I don’t know if it was from the wind or from the tornado maybe trying to come this way, I figured it was from the high winds. I could hear the limb on this tree back here fall over but I couldn’t hear anything else. After that I just heard hail and I kept hearing hail. I thought the hail was doing some damage or something you know,” said Totty.
Evelyn Totty had two clothes lines in her yard and now they’re gone, with down branches taking its place.
The Tottys and the Westermans still have their lives which is something they are all thankful for. For residents inside of Mayfield Mobile Home Park Community, it’s only one thing for them to do and that's to stick by each other.