A Baptist pastor in Western Kentucky looked back on the devastating impacts of the tornadoes that hit the state in 2021, saying they are still struggling with providing homes to many who lost their properties.
According to a report by ABC News, Pastor Al Chandler of Northside Baptist Church in Mayfield said they also feel the emotional toll of the tornadoes a year after they tore through the state.
"It was a whirlwind for several days there and weeks. Everybody was impacted one way or the other," ABC News quoted Chandler saying.
Tornadoes' Impacts on Kentucky
The report said the Dec. 10 and 11 tornadoes that hit Kentucky and other states in American South and Midwest regions last year damaged at least 1,000 homes and left 76 individuals dead in Kentucky alone.
Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky said the data came from Kentucky state officials who conducted post-disaster damage assessments.
Pastor Chandler's Mayfield-Graves County Long Term Recovery Group has been actively teaming up with various nonprofits to extend free aid to Kentucky residents who survived the tornadoes.
ABC News bared that Chandler's group and their partners have been providing access to electricity and food and assisting residents in filing FEMA claims for damaged properties such as cars and homes.
Chandler's group has completed 155 cases since it began operations, but they still need to work on 170 others. There are also over 250 cases in the pipeline that requires case management, the news outlet revealed.
The Baptist pastor told ABC News the state has yet to complete its housing backlog for affected residents. He disclosed that the tornadoes damaged more than 800 homes, and those renting residential facilities suffered greatly from the devastation.
"We determined that about 70% of our survivors were in rental units. There are very few resources available for [renters]," Chandler told ABC News.
He explained that the unavailability of rental units presents a "unique gap" in Western Kentucky's rebuilding efforts.
'Home for the Holidays'
Pastor Chandler disclosed that they had to get creative to ensure that some of the affected renters would have a roof over their heads this holiday season.
His group recently launched the "Home for the Holidays" program, in which Chandler's group finds homes that affected families could rent for one year. The pastor said after such a period, families could buy the houses for themselves to have a permanent living facility.
Currently, Chandler's group has 13 individuals availing of the one-year renting contract. The pastor explained that they aim to secure homes for 25 families by Christmas.
Chandler added that there are other efforts to close the housing backlogs, such as Samaritan's Purse's construction of 60 homes for tornado survivors. There are also residents currently living in trailers and campers, which became possible through aid from state and federal governments.
According to him, there are some 200 individuals who are yet to secure permanent housing, so they are either living with relatives or housed in hotels and campers.
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