Reflections on the Destructive Tornado Hitting Bowling Green

Having lived in Bowling Green, Kentucky, for just six years, I have only experienced a handful of tornado warnings, none of which led to actual damage, injuries, or deaths near us. The early morning hours of Saturday, Dec. 11th led to an experience which was altogether different.

Shortly before 1:00 a.m., our phones buzzed loudly with the warning from the National Weather Service. My wife and I awoke our other family members. Within moments a loud tornado siren could be heard, echoing through the darkness.

Less than a minute went by. The winds seemed to pick up, to the level of a low roar. The four of us huddled in the small area underneath our stairs. As the storm was moving across our area at highway speeds, some five minutes later the news channels reported that we were in the clear as the tornados moved far past us and northeastward.

The Devastation is Revealed

Later that Saturday morning, as the sun arose, the world still seemed dark. The terror of the night had morphed to a cold day revealing countless personal tragedies. The fear just a few hours before was displaced by sadness, despair and hopelessness.

Incredulity was felt not just throughout Bowling Green, but also in Mayfield, Kentucky and in dozens of small communities and hamlets in western Kentucky and several surrounding states.

News reports cautioned us to stay away from the affected areas, to permit rescue activities. As the short daylight hours progressed, the full scale of the disaster became apparent. The tornado had driven a long path through Bowling Green. Over five hundred homes and one hundred businesses were destroyed. Sixteen individuals from Bowling Green lost their lives, most from just two families. Over a hundred persons were injured physically, and the emotional toll was even greater.

The Search and Recovery Efforts

In our close-knit community, everyone personally knew someone who was affected. We began our search for the dead and injured, and our outreach to those who lost their homes or businesses.

Those who suffered less, or not at all, emerged into the day to provide immediate support to those who had lost so much more. A small army of volunteers bearing chain saws emerged to clear roads to enable rescue and utility vehicles to access devastated neighborhoods.

First responders and volunteers were joined by members of the Kentucky National Guard, along with members of Team Rubicon Disaster Response.

Construction companies provided, at no cost, their equipment to assist with search and rescue and the necessary removal of debris. Skilled workers, many of whom had seen wind damage at their own homes, emerged throughout the cold morning to assist in the search and recovery efforts, often lifting entire sides of buildings up with heavy equipment to empower the search for any persons who may have been underneath.

Others assisted families to recover personal items and furnishings that could be salvaged from hundreds of homes. Citizens joined together to assist business owners in recovering and storing what inventory and equipment could be salvaged from the wreckage.

Initially Sheltering and Providing for the Displaced

Hundreds of additional volunteers converged on the affected areas, and in the shelters set up to house the many families that had been displaced. Each call for needed supplies was met with an overwhelming response. Clothes, food, and other necessaries were received, sorted, and handed out – a time-consuming process that continues to this day.

Food trucks and nearby restaurants opened to feed the army of first responders and volunteers thousands of free meals. Tents emerged in the heavily damaged areas to provide a place to hand out free drinking water and sandwiches, as well as a place to listen and console. Other volunteers cooked and furnished meals at the nearby schools that were opened as shelters to assist those hundreds displaced. Cots, inflatable beds, and blankets were donated to afford those who sheltered greater comfort.

Still more volunteers distributed meals to those whose homes had suffered damage, or who had lost water or power. And many families opened their own homes to those families who, in what seemed like the blink of an eye, had lost their own.

Community leaders organized the volunteers and recovery efforts. Western Kentucky University’s Center for Research and Development provided a central location from which to coordinate the army of volunteers, and the University provided housing to first responders. Churches both locally and dozens of miles away collected and distributed food and other donated supplies.

Days Later, the Search Ends. The Recovery Efforts Continue.

The search for survivors ended six days after the storm. The last of the missing, a 13-year-old girl, was sadly found lying dead a few hundred yards from her home, in an adjoining neighborhood.

Into our welcoming community of Bowling Green, refugees from many places in the world – such as Mexico, Bosnia, Myanmar, Iraq, Ghana, Zaire, Kenya, El Salvador, and Afghanistan – have been accepted with kindness and compassion. As the recovery efforts continued, no one cared about another’s political affiliation, religion, race, nationality, or creed. Those most affected were provided with an arm to lean on, hugs, and helping hands.

Anguish began to be replaced by hope.

All those who have personally witnessed, or participated in, this outpouring have been rewarded. By a restoration of faith in mankind.

We Tour the Damage.

Today, for the first time, more than eight days after the tornado hit, I ventured out with my wife to survey some of the damage.

We saw many homes stripped to their foundations. So many other homes were simply damaged beyond repair. Local businesses, some of which were passed down from generation to generation, simply stand no more.

A piece of wood pierced completely through the side of one car. The roofs of many houses were penetrated by trees and other debris. Small groves of trees that once stood to veil neighborhoods were gone, revealing the wholesale destruction of residences beyond.

After more than an hour of driving through affected areas, we could not go on – despite the fact that we had likely only surveyed less than one-quarter of the damaged areas. We drove home in silence.

The clearing of debris continues, as Bowling Green and many other communities seek to repair and reopen its streets and other infrastructure. Power and internet service are still being restored, with progress made each day.

Feelings of Gratitude, Yet Scars Remain

We are grateful for the hard work of the utility crews, public servants, and the many volunteers. In the weeks and months ahead, we will seek to rebuild. Our collective community spirit, and the ongoing support from both near and far, provides fuel the hard work ahead.

Yet, no tragedy such as this comes without leaving lasting wounds. Not just physical marks, but also the emotional scars that may reach into the very depths of the soul.

Such scars can be ameliorated with hope, with love, and with sustained care. In the process of adhering to the wounds our fellow citizens suffered, we may yet find a new awareness and appreciation for the heroes around us in our everyday lives. We praise those who carry on in the face of their tremendous personal adversity.

The tornado hit Bowling Green very hard, and its memory will follow us in the decades to come. But also enduring, through the passage of time, will be the memory of the tremendous outpouring of love and assistance from all those who have aided our community in its recovery.

The Need Continues

It is less than a week now, before Christmas Day. It is hard to even hear, much less sing along, to the carols we hear on the radio. For we know that the need remains tremendous, as Bowling Green and other communities in western Kentucky continue to bury the dead, care for the wounded, clear the debris, and begin to rebuild.

If you desire to help, even from afar, here are just a few of the many ways:

·       Governor Beshear has established the Team Western Kentucky Tornado Relief Fund to assist those impacted by the tornados.

·       First Lady Britainy Beshear is seeking toys, books and gift cards for the children affected by the tornados through her Western Kentucky Toy Drive.

·       Western Kentucky University’s Food Pantry continues to provide meals throughout the holidays (including Christmas Day) to those in need.

·       To assist Western Kentucky University students who have been adversely affected, monetary donations can be made to WKU’s Emergency Student Assistance through the Opportunity Fund website.

#BGStrong

Dr. Ron Rhoades is an Associate Professor of Finance at Western Kentucky University, where he serves as Director of its Personal Financial Planning Program. He is also a financial advisor in ARGI’s Bowling Green office. He can be reached via bear@argi.net.