BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — Several families who lost their homes after last year’s EF-3 tornado will have a new place to live come October.

Families still recovering from severe weather late last year have received good news in Bowling Green. That’s where Habitat for Humanity is building 10 townhouse-style homes and many of the recipients were affected by an EF-3 tornado that touched down last December.

Rodney Goodman is the executed director of Habitat Bowling Green.

“This will be the living room, kitchen, master bedroom, bathroom and laundry room back here,” Goodman pointed out during a tour of the construction site.

Everywhere you look, volunteers are hammering nails, putting up walls and carrying plywood — any number of tasks, really.

“If you’re willing to work, willing to be out here, we’ll find something for you to do,” Goodman said. “Three, three-bedroom units in the center and the end units are four-bedroom units and the second five-plex is a mirror image of this one.”

This is what Goodman calls a “building blitz.” Ten townhomes are going up in less than a week.

“We are trying to get them dried in, in five days and completed in ten weeks,” Goodman said.

Workers take part in the "build blitz." (Spectrum News 1/Jonathon Gregg)

In order to reach such a lofty goal, Goodman needs a lot of help. He’s got nearly 200 volunteers showing up each day during the blitz where as many as 500 volunteers total will take part. Volunteers work from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. 

Wednesday was Jessie Fletcher’s first morning on the job. She is one of several volunteers lending a hand from a local insurance company.

“Bowling Green is just a very giving city. I mean, it’s just an outpouring of love and community today and it’s just really great to see,” Fletcher said.

Nine of the ten families have already been selected to move into these future homes and several were affected by the EF-3 tornado that tore through Bowling Green late last year.

“Some of these units will be folks displaced by the storm. Some of them will be folks who had other effects from the storm, maybe lost some work, losses they suffered during the storm and some of them are just folks who have been waiting on affordable housing decades,” Goodman explained.

But their wait is finally ending as these homes are expected to be finished and move-in ready this October.

“I think a lot of people are still in devastation but like I said, Bowling Green is an incredible city… as you can see, we are trying to rebuild,” Fletcher said.