Governor marks six-month anniversary of Kentucky tornadoes

Gov. Andy Beshear headed to western Kentucky on Friday to mark one other milestone within the restoration from tornadoes that tore by way of the area six months in the past, killing 81 individuals within the state.

The governor was headlining an occasion in hard-hit Mayfield to have fun the primary totally constructed new properties for the reason that city took a direct hit from a twister final December.

“At the moment marks six months after essentially the most lethal twister occasion our state has ever seen,” Beshear tweeted Friday forward of the Mayfield occasion. “This can be a time of reflection and hope. Allow us to proceed to recollect and elevate up the 81 lives misplaced, their households and communities, and allow us to proceed to work collectively to assist western Kentucky.”

Recapping the huge inflow of help, the governor stated Thursday that the response from federal, state and Crimson Cross efforts have surpassed an estimated $193 million. Practically 2,600 individuals have been housed by way of emergency packages in Kentucky, he stated.

“We nonetheless have a protracted approach to go” to rebuild from the widespread destruction, Beshear stated at his weekly information convention Thursday. However six months after the storms, he stated: “We’re standing. Not knocked down. By no means knocked out.”

Greater than 2.5 million cubic yards of particles have been faraway from storm-stricken Kentucky counties — roughly the equal of 250,000 truckloads, the governor stated.