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Western Ky Storms

On Dec. 10-11, Western Kentucky was ravaged by two destructive long-track tornadoes. The first — an EF4 — clipped the northwest corner of Christian County remained on the ground for more than 165 miles. Two and a half hours later, an EF-2 “took straight aim for the city of Pembroke” and South Christian County, where it caused significant property damage. Then, just weeks later on New Year’s Day, an EF-2 traveled for about a mile through downtown Hopkinsville.

Explore Hoptown Chronicle’s coverage in the days, weeks and months that followed — chronicling initial reports, resident reactions and ongoing recovery efforts.

Mayfield receives $31.5 million for downtown revitalization efforts following 2021 tornado outbreak
Hannah Saad•
The U.S. Department of Transportation announced Wednesday that it is awarding a $25 million grant to the city of Mayfield.
Mayfield tornado damage
Beshear: $223 million going to build rental units in four counties hit hard by 2021 tornado outbreak
Derek Operle•
The funding will go toward 11 construction projects, including plans for 76 units in Christian County.
Dawson Springs housing units
Eastern and Western Kentucky rebuilding projects get House nod
McKenna Horsley•
THe funds would go to rehabilitate the Breathitt Area Technology Center and rebuild a fire station, police station and the city hall in Mayfield, as well as the Graves County administration building. 
mayfield tornado destruction
Mayfield’s historic Hall Hotel condemned over two years after being damaged in tornado
Zacharie Lamb•
The Hall Hotel survived the storm and initial cleanup efforts, but now city officials have declared the building unsafe because of the damages it sustained during the disaster.
hall hotel mayfield
University of Kentucky oral history project collects memories of 2021 Mayfield tornado
Hannah Saad•
The project documents stories of recovery from the perspective of survivors.
Mayfield tornado damage
State-run disaster relief funds had error rates below 1%, two reports find
Liam Niemeyer•
Both reports found that less than 1% of payments made from the Team Western Kentucky Tornado Relief Fund had been in error.
pembroke tornado damage
Republican lawmakers question state officials about tornado, flood relief funds
Hannah Saad•
The relief funds, established by Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear, allow the state to take donations from private entities.
tornado damage christian county
$124M will build hundreds of homes in tornado-impacted Western Kentucky
Liam Niemeyer•
Those on the frontlines of disaster recovery laud the funding but say the need for affordable housing will remain.
dawson springs tornado damage
Poll: 45% of Southerners say they’ve been impacted by ‘extreme weather’ in recent years
Derek Operle•
An expert noted that if you looked at Western Kentuckians specifically it might be that everyone somehow experienced extreme weather.
hopkinsville intersection strewn with tornado debris
Senate committee advances bill to track disaster relief funds
Derek Operle•
Whitney Westerfield, of Christian County, said the push follows reports that some relief funds went to people unaffected by recent disasters.
whitney westerfield at desk
GOP lawmakers seeking oversight of disaster donations, while Beshear defends funds’ transparency
Liam Niemeyer•
Sen. Whitney Westerfield, R-Fruit Hill, said he wants to ‘get to the bottom’ of how the donated disaster funds have been used so far.
tornado victims
Millions in donations were sent for tornado relief. Survivors wonder where the money is.
Liam Niemeyer•
Most of the donations that Kentucky has set aside to help victims pay for unmet needs remain untapped, reports Liam Niemeyer of Kentucky Lantern.
ReliefFunds_KYLantern_20-1-1024x700