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Healing and Rebuilding Take Time After Kentucky Tornadoes’ Rampage – HS Today

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Healing and Rebuilding Take Time After Kentucky Tornadoes’ Rampage – HS Today


Proof of clean-up and restoration is starting to point out within the coronary heart of this tornado- stricken metropolis. Downtown streets are principally satisfactory, the bricks and rubble from shattered buildings faraway from some blocks. The location of the demolished candle manufacturing unit that drew the sympathy of the nation is now a vacant lot.

For the reason that catastrophe six months in the past, mountains of particles have been eliminated in Western Kentucky and lots of hundreds of thousands in federal and commonwealth {dollars} have been spent serving to Kentucky’s survivors rebound. Shaken communities throughout the Bluegrass State are simply starting to regain their footing.

However the historic courthouse in Mayfield, its majestic clock tower snapped off the façade and its inside broken past restore, is a visual reminder of the tornadoes’ lethal destruction and the challenges as survivors heal and cities rebuild.

The tornadoes hit with sudden power the night time of Dec. 10 and continued the following day, carving a path by means of 9 states together with Kentucky’s principally rural cities like Mayfield and Dawson Springs and town of Bowling Inexperienced. Eighty-one lives had been misplaced in Western Kentucky, 24 of them in Graves County, the place Mayfield is the county seat.

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Mayfield metropolis officers reported 257 constructions destroyed, greater than 1,000 others broken.

Instantly after the tornadoes, native, commonwealth and federal catastrophe officers, nonprofits and volunteers started mobilizing. By daylight, Gov. Andy Beshear was touring Mayfield, Dawson Springs and different broken areas.

“It was past something I had ever seen, with complete communities almost wiped off the map,” he mentioned. “However I additionally witnessed acts of heroism, compassion and kindness that ought to make us all proud. The whole world noticed how Kentuckians come collectively, how we open our hearts and our houses to our fellow residents of their time of best want.”

By Dec. 11, advance groups from the Federal Emergency Administration Company started arriving in response to the state’s request for federal assist. The subsequent day, President Biden issued a significant catastrophe declaration unlocking federal help underneath a number of applications for residents and communities within the tornado- broken counties.

To ensure survivors knew easy methods to apply, FEMA launched a multi-pronged outreach. Catastrophe Survivor Help groups visited 11,000 houses between Dec. 14 and March 9, serving to with functions and answering questions. Groups reached out to homes of worship and neighborhood teams, asking them to go alongside catastrophe info. FEMA messaging was shared with elected officers and amplified by media shops.

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FEMA additionally arrange catastrophe restoration facilities throughout the affected counties the place survivors might get updates about their functions and submit their paperwork. The federal company was ready for survivors with disabilities or language boundaries, which was significantly necessary in Bowling Inexperienced, dwelling to refugees and different immigrants talking greater than 100 languages. To speak with them, FEMA supplied language line interpretation, permitting non-English talking survivors to get info of their native languages.

A FEMA-funded catastrophe case administration grant was authorized in April, permitting people and households to work with case managers to entry a broad vary of sources. Case managers may even work with non- English audio system who nonetheless want translation assist to proceed by means of the help course of and obtain eligible assist.

Housing was an early precedence and stays a significant problem in Western Kentucky, a rural space already experiencing housing shortages. However, catastrophe officers had been capable of finding momentary shelter for displaced survivors earlier than Christmas. Commonwealth officers led the trouble, offering cabins in state parks and discovering out there resort rooms. They bought 200 journey trailers as a brief resolution. Even six months later, FEMA and the state proceed to search for further longer-term momentary housing.

In an effort to make extra houses out there to catastrophe survivors, FEMA’s housing officers agreed to extend the rental help fee to 125% of the U.S. Division of Housing and City Growth honest market hire for eligible residents in Caldwell, Graves, Hopkins, Marshall, Muhlenberg and Warren counties. FEMA additionally started bringing in manufactured housing models for survivors who had no different choices.

As of June 1, FEMA and the U.S. Small Enterprise Administration have offered almost $82 million in federal catastrophe help to Kentucky. That determine contains $15.5 million in housing help and different important disaster-related wants, $58.4 million in SBA low-interest catastrophe loans for owners, renters and companies, and $1.5 million to fund Catastrophe Unemployment Help.

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Beneath FEMA’s Public Help program, communities get assist with the price of restore, rebuilding and emergency work together with reimbursements for particles removing, broken roads and infrastructure. For instance, Marshall County was reimbursed $2.4 million for particles removing and Bowling Inexperienced was reimbursed $1.5 million for energy restoration and repairs. As of June 1, this system has offered a complete of $6.3 million in reimbursements, with greater than 700 initiatives nonetheless underneath assessment.

FEMA additionally distributed info to assist disaster-prone areas look forward and attempt for resilience. Hazard mitigation groups visited dwelling enchancment shops, the place they supplied twister survivors recommendation and tips about easy methods to scale back future catastrophe dangers as they restore and rebuild their houses. Different mitigation groups visited colleges, parks and useful resource gala’s with a stormwater mannequin designed to coach the general public on the hazards of floodwater and methods to cut back flooding dangers.

However assist for Kentucky is just not restricted to restoring broken buildings, clearing particles and studying about flood danger. Free disaster counseling has been out there from the begin to assist survivors overcome emotions of melancholy, unhappiness or anxiousness so widespread after a catastrophe. The counseling service will proceed till January 2023.

Federal Coordinating Officer Brett Howard, who’s main the federal restoration operation, famous that FEMA is only one supply of help. Catastrophe funding has additionally come from the state, native and different federal companions, non-profits, firms and personal donors. Insurance coverage funds are flowing to people and communities for rebuilding.

The funding from all sources implies that federal and state businesses should coordinate to make sure they don’t seem to be paying double for a similar work. Howard mentioned these priorities are made simpler by a powerful partnership with state counterparts.

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“The commonwealth has actually stepped up and brought care of their residents,” Howard mentioned. “I’ve by no means seen something prefer it: from funeral bills, rebuilding … they’re working arduous day-after-day.”

And FEMA employees are working proper alongside them.

As Western Kentucky communities start planning their rebuilding technique, their residents are forming long-term restoration committees to assist survivors nonetheless in want. Different committees, amongst them Mayfield Rebuilds, meet frequently to debate their concepts for redevelopment. FEMA’s Interagency Restoration Coordination crew, in collaboration with federal companions together with HUD, SBA, the Financial Growth Administration and the U.S. Division of Agriculture, helps to establish sources to assist restoration.

The mountain of labor forward begins with a single pebble, with each Kentuckian enjoying a small half and everybody recognizing it’s going to take time to comprehend the brand new imaginative and prescient.

“We are going to proceed to work till we rebuild each construction and each life,” Beshear promised.

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Kentucky Emergency Administration Director Jeremy Slinker added, “Collectively, we’re dedicated to assembly the wants of all individuals impacted by the storms so long as is critical.”

Mayfield Mayor Kathy Stewart O’Nan can see her beloved metropolis taking form once more, albeit in a brand new kind. She factors to a park restored with personal donations, the place 23 cherry timber had been planted as a memorial to town’s little children misplaced within the storm. It’s a small step, however no much less inspiring to residents who should plan for his or her future.

“It’s a therapeutic course of,” O’Nan mentioned. “It’s devastating at first. You then’re simply attempting to carry on. And you then assume, ‘Let’s get again to regular.’ However once you settle for it, that’s once you begin transferring ahead.”

Learn extra at FEMA



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Kentucky Football lands 3-star offensive tackle

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Kentucky Football lands 3-star offensive tackle


LEXINGTON, Ky. (WYMT) – Kentucky football continues to add to an impressive 2025 recruiting class. Jermiel Atkins, a 3-star offensive tackle, verbally committed to the Wildcats on Thursday.

Atkins announced his verbal commitment on his personal Instagram.

The Dayton, Ohio native listed as 6 foot 8 inches, 290 pounds chose Kentucky over offers from Virginia Tech, Arizona State, Eastern Kentucky, and others.

Atkins’ verbal commitment comes one day after the Wildcats added 4-star defensive lineman, Kalen Edwards.

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Kentucky football’s 2025 recruiting class now ranks 16th in the nation and 8th in the Southeastern Conference, according to 247Sports.



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Kentucky basketball’s best player off the bench might surprise fans

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Kentucky basketball’s best player off the bench might surprise fans


Kentucky fans already are excited about players like Andrew Carr, Koby Brea, Jaxson Robinson, Otega Oweh, Lamont Butler, and Amari Williams but one name that isn’t discussed all that much but should is Ansley Almonor.

Last season at Fairleigh Dickinson, Almonor averaged 16.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game. Almonor was the 44th best three-point shooter in all of college basketball last season as he went 93 of 236 for a percentage of 39.4 from deep.

He is only 6’7 but has played center and power forward during his entire college basketball career, so he is used to being undersized at his position.

Almonor will likely come off the bench for Carr, and these two players do a lot of the same things. Almonor is just in a smaller frame than Carr. There is a world where Almonor is the Wildcat’s best player off the bench this season, thanks to his shooting and ability to help on the glass.

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Almonor will come in the game for the Wildcats and immediately become a mismatch for any defender on the floor. If Almonor has a season where he shoots the ball well, passes to open players for shots, and helps on the glass, he will be a massive part of why this team has a solid season and goes on a run in March.

Kentucky Athletics sent out this quote from Coach Pope about Almonor, “Ansley is one of the best shooting mid-major bigs out there, and he is a tremendous mover without the basketball. He’s a fearless competitor with great leadership qualities. Ansley is a finance major who comes from an unbelievable family from Haiti. He’s a great addition to this roster as a veteran presence with a lot of college basketball under his belt.”



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Kentucky’s process for purging voter rolls challenged in federal court; Adams fights back – NKyTribune

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Kentucky’s process for purging voter rolls challenged in federal court; Adams fights back – NKyTribune


The outside of the Sugar Maple Square polling site in Bowling Green, May 21, 2024. (Photo by Austin Anthony, Kentucky Lantern)

By McKenna Horsley
Kentucky Lantern

A grassroots advocacy group has filed a lawsuit against Kentucky election officials alleging the state’s process for removing voters from rolls violates federally protected voting rights. 

The state’s top election official responded that undoing the law during a presidential election year would “sow chaos and doubt.” 

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Kentuckians For The Commonwealth (KFTC) filed the lawsuit last week in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky against Republican Secretary of State Michael Adams and the State Board of Elections, which includes Republican and Democratic members. 

Secretary of State Michael Adams (Photo from Kentucky Today)

The complaint alleges that Kentucky’s election law, which was changed in response to the coronavirus pandemic and became permanent in 2021, violates the National Voter Registration Act of 1993. KFTC says the federal act requires registered voters who have moved to receive notice in writing to confirm their address and have time to respond before they are removed from voter rolls. Kentucky’s law “flagrantly violates these requirements,” KFTC argues, by not giving voters notice before removal. 

Adams issued a statement Tuesday saying he plans to defend the law in court. The 2021 changes, known as House Bill 574, were signed into law by Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear. 

“Kentucky’s elections are a national success story,” Adams said. “Three years ago, Kentucky enacted a bipartisan law to prevent voting in more than one state in a presidential election. Now that a presidential election is underway, a fringe left-wing activist group is trying to undo that law and sow chaos and doubt in our elections. We believe voters should vote in only one state, and we expect to prevail in court.”

In addition to the removal process, the 2021 state law also has provisions for no-excuse in-person early voting and updates to regulations for absentee ballots. 

The secretary of state also said that 4,362 individuals had been removed from the voter rolls in June. Of that group, 3,030 were deceased, 603 were convicted of felonies, 554 had moved out of the state, 78 voluntarily deregistered, 52 were duplicate registrations and 45 were adjudged mentally incompetent.

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KFTC is asking the court to permanently enjoin election officials from canceling voter registrations without following provisions required by federal law. 

The group’s lawsuit also says it registered more than 2,000 new voters during last year’s governor’s race and plans to “directly register even more prospective voters due to the presidential race.” 

KFTC will hire 15 people across the state for this year’s voter registration program, which includes field training and webinars. 

Founded in 1981, KFTC’s mission is to “challenge and change unfair political, economic and social systems by working for a new balance of power and a just society.”

Read Kentuckians for the Commonwealth v. Michael Adams

Kentucky Lantern is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Kentucky Lantern maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jamie Lucke for questions: info@kentuckylantern.com.

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