EDDYVILLE, Ky. — Volunteers are still working round the clock to help Western Kentucky recover after the Dec. and New Year’s Day tornadoes.
However, one Lyon County resident, Jenni Frank, took volunteering to a new level. She volunteers by coordinating volunteers amid her already busy schedule as a small-business owner, wife, mom, and candidate for county judge executive.
Just over month ago, Frank added a new title to her already packed resume, volunteer coordinator of Lyon County. She fields texts and phone calls every day from volunteers and homeowners and then pairs the two to support tornado recovery in her area.
“You know, I wouldn’t want to get bored or anything,” she said jokingly about taking on her volunteer role, despite an already packed schedule, which includes her own business with Town’s Mercantile, a home décor and gift shop, in Eddyville.
“This community means so much to me. It’s really important to see us get back on our feet as quickly as possible. If I can help play a role in that, that’s what I want to do,” Frank told Spectrum News 1.
In between tornado damage repairs at her family’s home and life’s demands, the 31-year-old said her phone rings from about 7:30 in the morning until around sunset everyday.
“We don’t have many large groups; I mean FEMA was set up, the American Red Cross has been in town, but in terms of large volunteer opportunities, it’s just been one-on-one, which works really well for us here,” she explained.
Frank helps by enlisting volunteers and matching their skill set with the needs of homeowners who are working to recover from the EF-4 tornado that hit Lyon County on Dec. 10, 2021.
“I’ve heard so many times people are just like, ‘I don’t even know where to begin,’ and you don’t because how do you begin to pick up somebody’s whole life,” Frank rhetorically asked.
Besides coordinating volunteers, Frank also spends time talking with homeowners between their attempts to salvage what they can.
“We don’t even know what we’ve lost, and so it’s just one day at a time of rebuilding, and we will,” she said.
She also checks-in with other community members hired locally to help clean up Lyon County. When Spectrum News 1 visited Lyon County, she took time to chat with Mark Breitrick, co-owner of Promise Land Tree Service.
“So Jenni’s been out here sending out volunteers where needed and helping out. She’s been a blessing to the county, too. So it’s a good group of people here; a great place to live,” Breitrick said.
Lyon County had one confirmed death from the tornadoes. Frank said that number could have been a lot higher if the historic weather came through during peak season, such as over the summer. Lyon County is a vacation and second home destination given it’s location to Cumberland River and Lake Barclay.
“To know that these are the people I go to church with, the people who my daughter will go to school with, the volunteer work is just not enough. There’s so much to be done,” Frank said.
It will get done, though, Frank said, with teamwork.
Volunteers are still needed, especially to help pickup debris. Tornado recovery in Lyon County also welcomes anyone with equipment or tools, such as skid steers, etc. If you’re interested to help, text Jenni Frank at (270) 217-2885 for more information.