As the efforts continue to clean up debris, find victims and restore power, the storm’s scale of destruction is astounding
, storm warnings had been coming for days, then came radar observations of a rotating storm of debris to the south, and finally urgent alerts to the imminent strike of a severe tornado.
“It’s not normal to get a tornado in December, but then it’s not normal for it to be 73 degrees at night,” said Mayfield resident Tim Wetherbee, referring to the local temperature on the day the onslaught destroyed 15,000 buildings and trailer-homes and caused at least $3.5bn in damage. As power company workers began restoring power to Mayfieldfor some there was little to do but gawp at the scale of the destruction.
Following the track of a tornado is a relatively straightforward task of following a trail of broken trees and debris. Many in town, including workers at the factory that night, contradicted management’s claims that employees had been free to leave after multiple tornado warnings were issued for the area. “Even with weather like this, you’re still going to fire me?” 20-year-old worker Evan Johnson reportedly asked a manager. Their response, “Yes.”
“It’s part of the problem – they’ve been looking for the wrong people,” Massó said. “There’s a fear of authorities, and they’re not going to risk exposing themselves. They’re here, but we’ve got emergency responders searching the rubble.” Timber supplier Ronnie Murphy, helping to co-ordinate the barn rebuilds, said he believed the infant had been ripped from his mother’s arms. “All the babies that made it through are miracles, but this one…” he trailed off.
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