WEBVTT - A Town After a Tornado 0:00:10.240 --> 0:00:13.800 And we continue with our American stories and now a 0:00:13.880 --> 0:00:16.880 story from one of our listeners, Paul Cutts from the 0:00:16.920 --> 0:00:20.400 Twin Cities. Paul is also a professor at Saint Mary's 0:00:20.480 --> 0:00:24.720 University of Minnesota. Today, Paul is sharing with us a 0:00:24.800 --> 0:00:28.840 story about when he visited Mayfield, Kentucky, a town that 0:00:28.880 --> 0:00:33.160 had recently been hit by a devastating tornado. Here's Paul 0:00:36.440 --> 0:00:40.320 Mayfield more than a memory. That is what I saw 0:00:40.360 --> 0:00:43.040 on the side of one of the buildings that was 0:00:43.120 --> 0:00:46.000 still standing when I heard on the news that a 0:00:46.120 --> 0:00:51.640 tornado swept through the town area December eleventh, two twenty one, 0:00:52.560 --> 0:00:56.120 I decided to organize a road trip. Road trips to 0:00:56.360 --> 0:01:00.400 unknown places for me have this sense of adventure, history 0:01:00.480 --> 0:01:05.480 and a time to untap new possibilities of understanding other communities, 0:01:05.720 --> 0:01:10.480 but also getting a better idea of yourself. It started 0:01:10.480 --> 0:01:13.800 with a gofund me page for me shortly after the 0:01:13.840 --> 0:01:18.360 tornado had hit. Generous individuals gave money to support this 0:01:18.520 --> 0:01:20.960 town which was hid in the middle of the night 0:01:21.240 --> 0:01:25.400 in mid December, and as the daylight approached, people saw 0:01:25.560 --> 0:01:29.120 with their very own eyes that their entire community was 0:01:29.240 --> 0:01:33.640 ruined by Mother Nature. I spoke with Cindy from Assembly 0:01:33.680 --> 0:01:36.800 of God Church by phone before we departed, and she said, 0:01:37.319 --> 0:01:40.080 the Good Lord has not blessed us with the best weather. 0:01:40.800 --> 0:01:44.400 If you saw the town of Mayfield, this was an understatement. 0:01:45.160 --> 0:01:47.960 They were then hit with an ice storm soon afterward, 0:01:48.040 --> 0:01:52.800 which incapacitated residence for a few days. The salt shack 0:01:52.880 --> 0:01:55.560 had been destroyed by the tornado, so they were in 0:01:55.640 --> 0:01:59.920 need to melt the snow building up. When the tornado hit, 0:02:00.000 --> 0:02:04.720 it intensified, reaching high end e F four levels as 0:02:04.760 --> 0:02:08.440 it toured directly through the center of town, resulting in 0:02:08.680 --> 0:02:14.680 widespread catastrophic damage throughout that historic downtown square of Mayfield. 0:02:15.680 --> 0:02:20.200 Most of the structures in downtown were heavily damaged or destroyed, 0:02:20.280 --> 0:02:24.720 including multiple large, well built, multi story brick buildings that 0:02:24.880 --> 0:02:30.160 completely collapsed. Only large piles of bricks and lumber remained 0:02:30.440 --> 0:02:33.520 in the hardest hit portions of the downtown area, and 0:02:33.680 --> 0:02:38.400 streets were left buried under the debris. The large and 0:02:38.440 --> 0:02:41.800 well constructed Graves County Courthouse had much of its roof 0:02:41.840 --> 0:02:45.679 torn off, sustained collapse of its clock tower, and had 0:02:45.720 --> 0:02:51.239 some of its exterior upper floor walls knocked down. Several restaurants, 0:02:51.440 --> 0:02:55.720 an indoor soccer facility, a barber shop, an automotive business, 0:02:55.840 --> 0:02:59.800 Jim Bank movie theater, health and rehab center, and many 0:02:59.840 --> 0:03:04.840 of their businesses were destroyed. Even the emergency operations center 0:03:04.919 --> 0:03:10.160 lost the ability to transmit radio communications. Three large churches 0:03:10.200 --> 0:03:14.320 were destroyed in downtown Mayfield. A school, bus garage, metal 0:03:14.400 --> 0:03:19.600 industrial buildings, and apartment buildings also sustained major structural damage 0:03:19.960 --> 0:03:24.640 or were destroyed in other areas of town. Residential areas 0:03:24.680 --> 0:03:28.520 of the city were devastated as well, with numerous homes 0:03:28.560 --> 0:03:32.640 being damaged, including many that were actually leveled or swept 0:03:32.680 --> 0:03:39.360 from their foundations. Also, many trees sustained severe debarking, while 0:03:39.400 --> 0:03:44.000 cars were thrown hundreds of yards and mangled. Some dual 0:03:44.080 --> 0:03:48.560 polarization radar imagery the news mentioned showed that the tornado 0:03:48.640 --> 0:03:52.440 had lofted debris up the thirty thousand feet into the 0:03:52.520 --> 0:03:58.480 air as it impacted the city. And more importantly and sadly, 0:03:58.960 --> 0:04:02.480 twenty two people were killed in and around Mayfield, with 0:04:02.680 --> 0:04:08.320 hundreds more injured, many severely well. Meanwhile, my driving partner 0:04:08.400 --> 0:04:11.920 Paul and I ended up in West Frankfort, Illinois at 0:04:11.920 --> 0:04:15.880 around ten thirty pm after having started at seven am 0:04:15.920 --> 0:04:20.039 in the Twin Cities. We traveled through small towns such 0:04:20.080 --> 0:04:24.080 as Canton, Missouri, heading into Illinois on our way to Mayfield. 0:04:25.320 --> 0:04:28.200 We were lucky. Before we ventured from Saint Paul's South, 0:04:29.000 --> 0:04:31.880 a dear colleague dropped off twenty plus quilts to give 0:04:31.920 --> 0:04:35.480 to residence. Her church colleagues made these for a cause 0:04:35.560 --> 0:04:38.039 such as this, and so we loaded those in my 0:04:38.240 --> 0:04:42.800 jeep along with our own suitcases and supplies, and ventured out. 0:04:43.200 --> 0:04:46.320 The go fund me funds served as a springboard for 0:04:46.400 --> 0:04:48.839 money to be used in Mayfield and given to the 0:04:48.880 --> 0:04:52.600 city hall. We were so grateful that these funds could 0:04:52.600 --> 0:04:56.040 go to good use. We were on a road trip 0:04:56.080 --> 0:04:59.360 with a mission. We were headed to a distribution site 0:04:59.360 --> 0:05:02.520 at the County fair Grounds and much awaited us. If 0:05:02.560 --> 0:05:06.200 we could offer even a temporary relief, get a new 0:05:06.360 --> 0:05:09.960 education of what a town goes through when much, if 0:05:10.000 --> 0:05:13.560 not all, is wiped out by a tornado, then we 0:05:13.560 --> 0:05:17.440 were open to a new challenge. Giving people hope was 0:05:17.480 --> 0:05:20.960 the main objective. We made it to Mayfield in one 0:05:21.000 --> 0:05:23.640 piece and had a great day, moving many supplies and 0:05:23.800 --> 0:05:27.120 palettes of supplies, all the while working in the heart 0:05:27.160 --> 0:05:31.160 of where devastation hit the town. We worked in collaboration 0:05:31.240 --> 0:05:34.560 in a massive effort with Army, National Guard, locals and 0:05:34.640 --> 0:05:39.200 those from the outside in Mayfield, Kentucky. It will take 0:05:39.320 --> 0:05:42.599 decades to get back to normal, but I remain hopeful 0:05:42.640 --> 0:05:46.480 because the people are strong. The people we worked with 0:05:46.520 --> 0:05:49.320 at the distribution center in the heart of Mayfield at 0:05:49.320 --> 0:05:52.760 the fairgrounds were welcoming and in need of help. They 0:05:52.760 --> 0:05:55.320 all gave hope to a situation that looked like a 0:05:55.400 --> 0:05:59.320 war zone. The debris had been cleared off many streets, 0:05:59.400 --> 0:06:04.680 but met twisted around poles, structures, overturned roofs, missing, cars, destroyed, 0:06:04.680 --> 0:06:07.359 and even a multitude of our vs were brought in 0:06:07.400 --> 0:06:11.440 to give temporary housing and shelter to the displaced. My 0:06:11.520 --> 0:06:14.880 new friend Dora asked me to move plastic gas cans 0:06:14.960 --> 0:06:18.080 donated to be removed from a top shelf and brought 0:06:18.120 --> 0:06:20.800 within her reach. I asked her if she was a 0:06:20.880 --> 0:06:25.040 resident of Mayfield. She explained yes and with hopeful words. 0:06:25.279 --> 0:06:27.920 I love my town. But when I came through the 0:06:27.960 --> 0:06:31.960 devastation recently, I actually got lost because all the markers 0:06:32.000 --> 0:06:36.440 I once knew were gone. When you work with others 0:06:36.800 --> 0:06:40.080 and share stories, you build a common bond that, even 0:06:40.120 --> 0:06:43.240 though you may not walk together again. In you connected 0:06:43.279 --> 0:06:45.480 and found that we are all so similar in what 0:06:45.520 --> 0:06:48.839 we need as people. Love, care and a place to 0:06:48.880 --> 0:06:53.160 call home and a purpose well. Shipment after shipment came in. 0:06:53.600 --> 0:06:55.720 My colleague and I spent most of our time with 0:06:55.720 --> 0:07:01.000 that hydraulic equipment moving paper products such as towels, toilet trees, diapers, 0:07:01.120 --> 0:07:05.839 baby wipes, hand cleansers, toothpaste bags, food, all the sites 0:07:05.880 --> 0:07:09.880 on the floor of the fairgrounds. Sometimes donations were mixed. 0:07:10.320 --> 0:07:12.800 I came upon what I thought were some gray towels. 0:07:13.320 --> 0:07:17.320 They were in fact depends Kaleen, one of the coordinators 0:07:17.320 --> 0:07:20.440 with a vision for the big picture, said you never 0:07:20.520 --> 0:07:23.200 know when you need a diaper, no matter what your age. 0:07:23.640 --> 0:07:26.720 We all laughed. She said, glad you have a sense 0:07:26.760 --> 0:07:29.280 of humor. I need to see people laugh and smile 0:07:29.320 --> 0:07:33.160 around me. It helps get me through each day. Earlier 0:07:33.200 --> 0:07:35.640 in the morning, I had thrown out my lower back, 0:07:35.960 --> 0:07:38.040 but as I stretched it out, I said to myself, 0:07:38.080 --> 0:07:41.880 I can't let these people down. Somehow my pain subsided 0:07:41.920 --> 0:07:45.120 to get the task done. As the night approached, and 0:07:45.640 --> 0:07:48.200 as we got back to rest for the night, the 0:07:48.280 --> 0:07:51.000 pain emerged again, but I felt good that we could 0:07:51.080 --> 0:07:54.240 laugh and be present with others who spent days trying 0:07:54.280 --> 0:07:58.160 to rebuild their lives and their town. As we got 0:07:58.160 --> 0:08:01.000 our rhythm, my colleague and I seemed to be on 0:08:01.040 --> 0:08:04.400 automatic pilot, and I trained others in the process of 0:08:04.440 --> 0:08:08.280 transport and stocking and serving the residents who desired goods 0:08:08.320 --> 0:08:12.200 to sustain their lives. You could feel the love and 0:08:12.240 --> 0:08:16.200 the camaraderie. Everyone wanted each other to succeed in our 0:08:16.240 --> 0:08:20.920 common mission to serve Mayfield. On Saturday night, we took 0:08:20.920 --> 0:08:22.840 a little time to go to a bar named in 0:08:22.960 --> 0:08:27.000 honor of Bob Seeger's song Night Moves, and a guy 0:08:27.080 --> 0:08:29.400 named Bob came up to me and said, great to 0:08:29.440 --> 0:08:33.040 see you again. He talked about Super Bowl picks, how 0:08:33.040 --> 0:08:36.560 he moved from Chicago to Paduca and never regretted it. 0:08:37.080 --> 0:08:39.160 Since I was in Kentucky, I had to have a 0:08:39.280 --> 0:08:43.600 jack on ice here. You approached the bar, get your drink, 0:08:43.640 --> 0:08:47.079 and then take your seat. The band bellowed, tip your 0:08:47.080 --> 0:08:50.880 weight stamp generously and then launched into another song from 0:08:50.920 --> 0:08:54.520 the eighties and later. The fact is I had never 0:08:54.559 --> 0:08:57.960 been here myself or with my colleague until this night. 0:08:58.600 --> 0:09:01.440 The music was very good, and the vocalist and guitar 0:09:01.520 --> 0:09:04.920 player entertained us with stories and played three different sets 0:09:04.960 --> 0:09:07.880 with a drummer who even stopped to see us, noting 0:09:07.920 --> 0:09:10.360 we were having a very good time and was glad 0:09:10.400 --> 0:09:13.760 that we came out after another set. I try to 0:09:13.800 --> 0:09:17.920 Tequila Sunrise, and my colleague was enjoying the songs. The 0:09:18.000 --> 0:09:20.480 guy who claimed to know me kept telling me about 0:09:20.559 --> 0:09:23.720 his own experiences and how an apartment complex he owned 0:09:23.960 --> 0:09:27.880 had been three quarters devastated, but hope was sustaining him 0:09:28.400 --> 0:09:32.480 and the insurance adjusters were working on it. I hope 0:09:32.480 --> 0:09:36.440 a decade from now or sooner, Mayfield and surrounding areas 0:09:36.480 --> 0:09:40.480 will be thriving again so people can recognize their neighborhoods. 0:09:41.280 --> 0:09:44.760 The people's spirits at times seemed diminished, but their sense 0:09:44.800 --> 0:09:47.679 of hope and care for one another, guided by God's 0:09:47.720 --> 0:09:52.720 intentions for the future, shed light on a tough situation. 0:09:54.080 --> 0:09:56.680 Someday I would like to go back and it will 0:09:56.720 --> 0:10:01.360 be a new, beautiful, vibrant reality and community and not 0:10:01.800 --> 0:10:13.040 just a memory. And a great job on the production 0:10:13.120 --> 0:10:16.680 by Faith and a special thanks to Paul Cotts for 0:10:16.720 --> 0:10:20.040 sharing his mission trip, because it wasn't just a road trip, 0:10:20.080 --> 0:10:22.720 it was a mission trip. And Americans do this all 0:10:22.760 --> 0:10:25.360 the time. They go on mission trips to help people 0:10:25.360 --> 0:10:27.719 in need, and they do it when tornadoes hit, when 0:10:27.800 --> 0:10:30.640 hurricanes hit. Heck, sometimes they just do it to feed 0:10:30.679 --> 0:10:33.680 people who are hungry or just hurting. The story of 0:10:33.720 --> 0:10:38.200 Paul Cotts his mission of mercy, and the story of Mayfield, Kentucky. 0:10:38.320 --> 0:10:48.840 Here on our American story.