Dawson Springs

More than three years ago, a devastating and deadly tornado ripped through west Kentucky in the middle of December. Now, in Dawson Springs, the debris has mostly been cleaned up and many of the destroyed and damaged homes have been replaced or repaired, but there’s still a ways to go.

A deadly storm system impacted communities across Kentucky over the course of the holiday weekend, generating multiple tornadoes, damaging winds and large hail in many parts of the Commonwealth.

Communities across western Kentucky are still working to recover from the December 2021 tornado outbreak. Gov. Andy Beshear presented the keys to five new homes on Monday to Dawson Springs families who lost their residences in the disaster.

Once a destination because of its mineral waters, this town has remade itself before. This time residents wonder where people will work.

A Hopkins County group unveiled a memorial to victims of last December’s tornado outbreak this weekend less than a month before the one-year anniversary of the disaster.

Kentucky Sports Radio and the Kentucky Chamber Foundation presented the more than $950,000 check to the nonprofit in Dawson Springs, where around 75% of the community’s homes were damaged or destroyed by high speed winds last December.

Officials at the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area in western Kentucky say reforestation efforts are underway after two tornadoes ripped through sections of the recreation area in December, destroying countless trees along the way. Likewise, western Kentucky cities are pushing initiatives to bring a little green back into tornado-impacted communities.

More than eight months after the December tornado outbreak, many organizations, such as Samaritan’s Purse, are working on rebuilding efforts across west Kentucky.

As the school year starts up in much of the state, leadership at western Kentucky school districts hit hard by last year’s tornado outbreak see the future of their districts tied to the future of their local tax bases.

As tornado recovery continues to progress in west and central Kentucky, three charities are working toward the goal of building 300 homes for survivors with support from the Team Western Kentucky Tornado Relief Fund.