MAYFIELD, Ky. — Mayfield’s mayor celebrates recovery and mourns those killed by the deadly storms three years ago.
On Dec. 10, 2021, an EF4 tornado destroyed thousands of buildings in its path and took dozens of lives. It was Kentucky’s longest-tracked tornado carving a path of destruction over 160 miles.
Twenty-four Kentuckians were killed in Graves County alone, as the town of Mayfield was severely damaged by the powerful tornado. The large wedge tornado cut diagonally through the center of town. Homes, businesses and many municipal buildings were leveled.
On Tuesday, there was a heartwarming ceremony on the third anniversary of the devastating storm. The nonprofit, The Hope Initiative, dedicated its 50th home to a family affected by the tornado.
To date, nearly 200 Mayfield homes have been built by nonprofit and volunteer organizations and in part with money from the Team Western Kentucky Tornado Relief Fund.
“So, we are blessed by what has come our way…what has come our way in everything but housing in particular,” Mayor Kathy Stewart O’Nan told Spectrum News 1.
Mayor O’Nan has led Mayfield residents through every step of its recovery. O’Nan has deep roots in Mayfield. She taught at Mayfield High School for 40 years, served on the city council and in 2019 was elected mayor. She’s currently halfway through another four-year term.
“The first year we focused on debris removal. The second year it seemed as if that when the homes the first homes started being completed and this last year the city itself worked on replacing all of our municipal buildings which we lost,” O’Nan said.
In terms of loss, nothing is greater than that of the lives taken by the storm.
Mayor O’Nan says while the third anniversary may show how far her community has come, she, like so many others, still mourns.
“First in our hearts today are the families of the 24 souls that were lost in Graves County. While we mark this as looking how far we’ve come, that’s secondary for those families because they lost something that can’t be replaced. Those families stay in our hearts forever,” O’Nan said.
O’Nan expressed gratitude for the countless number of individuals and organizations that have played a part in her town’s recovery.
“I never go anywhere that more than one person doesn’t say we were in Mayfield, we still pray for you and we know that is what sustains us is the help we’ve received and the prayers we’ve received from all over the world, really.”