Northern Kentucky emergency management officials will depart the region for western Kentucky to assist with the recovery efforts following the deadly tornado strike from the weekend.
At least fifty people were killed and more than a thousand properties were destroyed when a strong tornado devastated cities like Mayfield and Bowling Green.
“Kentucky is absolutely united,” Gov. Andy Beshear said Saturday. “We are united with our people; united to find and rescue as many as possible; united to grieve; and united to be here for our families impacted – not just today, but in the years to come so that we can rebuild together.”
Beshear immediately declared a state of emergency and activated over 180 Kentucky National Guard members as well as the Kentucky State Police. The state also is using armories as places of refuge for Kentuckians in need of shelter.
Kentucky’s entire federal delegation to Congress also jointly endorsed the governor’s request for federal aid.
“I am praying for the lives lost and communities impacted by the tornado devastation throughout the Commonwealth,” Senator Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said. “Thank you to the first responders and the National Guard for their brave efforts amid this tragedy. As I continue to get reports from my staff, local and state officials, we will work with the entire Kentucky federal delegation to support Governor Andy Beshear’s request for federal assistance in order to aid these hard-hit communities with the funding and resources they need to rebuild.”
Beshear also encouraged people to donate blood. “We were already pretty short with COVID out there. We’re going to have a lot of deaths, but we are also going to have a lot of injuries,” the governor said.
The state has also set up a centralized website to collect funds to aid those impacted by the tornado.
“It is solely dedicated to helping the on-the-ground efforts going on right now and the relief efforts these families are going to need to rebuild,” Beshear said.
The Team Western Kentucky Tornado Relief Fund is live at TeamWKYReliefFund.ky.gov.
The Campbell County Office of Emergency Management (OEM), Kenton County Homeland Security Emergency Management, Grant County Emergency Management, Campbell County Sheriff’s Office, and the Campbell County Fiscal Court will be deploying an All Hazards Incident Management Team (AHIMT) to western Kentucky to assist in the aftermath of the severe weather tornado outbreak.
The team will be assembling Monday morning at the Walton Fire Protection District and departing 10 a.m.
-Staff report
Photo: Gov. Beshear talks with other officials in western Kentucky (via Office of Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear)
