A month after paying a visit to both Dawson Springs and Graves County, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell made a swing through Hopkinsville Wednesday afternoon — in what was a three-stop tour to survey tornado and severe weather damage across west Kentucky from the December 10 and 11 storms.
Since then, Hopkinsville was surprised with a New Year’s Day EF2 twister in its downtown area near Peace Park — in what was a brief, but destructive, system.
McConnell privately convened with noted Christian County dignitaries at the Christian County Sheriff’s Office, before holding an intimate news conference with Hopkinsville Mayor Wendell Lynch and Pembroke Mayor Judy Peterson at his sides.
While FEMA and Kentucky Emergency Management officials remain on the ground six weeks after the December storms, and four weeks after New Year’s Day, McConnell said the biggest challenge for those affected in Christian County continues to be getting people back into homes.
In reference to the January 1 tornado, McConnell and his representatives noted that Governor Andy Beshear will first have to officially make a disaster declaration before major steps are taken in the cleanup effort.
Beshear said he would be seeking that federal declaration after his January 3 visit to Christian County, and on Wendesday, Lynch added that Hopkinsville has met the necessary damage threshold for federal support.
Earlier this week, Beshear said roughly 25% of the state’s total cleanup from its recent disasters has been completed — in what’s been a noble, but unfinished, effort. More than 10,000 cubic yards of debris has been removed from Christian County alone since December 10, allowing for roads to be passable.
Peterson said there was plenty remaining to do in the Pembroke and south Christian areas, with lots of debris remaining on people’s property.
McConnell said he’s been particularly pleased with the local, regional, state and federal response to this disaster, while noticing a strong neighbor-serving-neighbor approach.
A major point in those discussions between McConnell and local officials involved the repair and/or installation of four tornado sirens — one in Pembroke, two in Oak Grove and one in the southern part of Hopkinsville — in which Christian County Emergency Management Director Randy Graham said involved previous applications with FEMA’s disaster and hazard mitigation grant program.
Lynch noted the goal is to return Christian County and downtown Hopkinsville to a “pre-event” status, repairing damage and replacing downed trees where possible.
