It is normally a joyous season, but in tornado-blasted Kentucky thousands of families are in crisis days before Christmas. But with the h...
It is normally a joyous season, but in tornado-blasted Kentucky thousands of families are in crisis days before Christmas.
But with the help of volunteers from around the country, families in western Kentucky will be able to celebrate Christmas later on Saturday, two weeks after a string of tornadoes wrought a path of deadly destruction.
'We're just trying to provide Christmas,' said Jimmy Finch, a volunteer from the neighboring US state of Tennessee who came to Mayfield the day after the twisters hit.
'I haven't kept a total tally of how many people we have fed,' Finch said. 'We just encourage everybody to keep coming back.'
Under a big yellow tent set up in a parking lot, the Scientology Volunteer Minister group also serves hot food and drink on a cold, windy Christmas Eve.
Troy Black, dressed as Santa Claus, interacts with children during a toy drive on Christmas Eve in a heavily damaged neighborhood after tornadoes ripped through several U.S. states
Troy Black, dressed as Santa Claus, looks off while volunteers associated with various church groups celebrate Christmas Eve
Volunteers associated with various church groups celebrate Christmas Eve by passing out toys to children in heavily damaged neighborhoods
Volunteers associated with various church groups celebrate Christmas Eve by passing out toys to kids affected by the storms
Beverly Martin, dressed as Mrs. Claus, speaks to a young girl at a Christmas Eve celebration marked with a lunch and toy drive at the West Kentucky 4-H Camp, a youth outdoor youth recreational facility
Troy Black, dressed as Santa Claus, looks out over a destroyed neighborhood from the bed of a pull-behind trailer
Children get to speak with Santa during a toy drive on Christmas Eve in a heavily damaged neighborhood
Steely Vanlue, dressed as Mrs. Claus, and Troy Black, dressed as Santa Claus, pass by a destroyed home on Christmas Eve in Dawson Springs, Kentucky
Steely Vanlue, dressed as Mrs. Claus, passes by a destroyed home on Christmas Eve in Dawson Springs, Kentucky
Steely Vanlue, dressed as Mrs. Claus, and Troy Black, dressed as Santa Claus, pass by an upside down trailer
Steely Vanlue, dressed as Mrs. Claus, and Troy Black, dressed as Santa Claus, pass by a destroyed home
Volunteers have descended on tornado-stricken Mayfield, in the US state of Kentucky, to provide hot food and drinks to the survivors, and hand out toys for the children
Donations from around the country have helped survivors of the tornadoes have some semblance of a normal holiday
One volunteer group estimates that they have served over 30,000 meals since arriving in Mayfield, the epicenter of tornado destruction
At distribution sites across western Kentucky, families impacted by the tornadoes can pick up food, toys, and other staples
Cleanup crews remove debris from destroyed homes during recovery efforts on Christmas Eve after tornadoes ripped through several U.S. states, in Dawson Springs, Kentucky
Marisol Alvarez (L) helps her brother in law Jose Morales (R) at his destroyed house on December 24 two weeks after a string of tornadoes wrought a path of deadly destruction, in Mayfield, Kentucky
Volunteers with Samaritans Purse distribute toys to people at a donation site set-up inside Graves County High School, on Christmas Eve two weeks after a string of tornadoes wrought a path of deadly destruction, in Mayfield, Kentucky
Volunteers, many of them children, line up to load kids bicycles into a trailer to give away during toy drive and Christmas Eve celebration after tornadoes ripped through several states
'It's a very difficult time for everybody,' said Chad Adams, a member of the organization. 'We're trying to make sure everybody eats.'
He estimates that they have served over 30,000 meals since the disaster struck, and invites everyone around to keep coming back to have food and hot chocolate.
At other sites, organizations distributed toys to families who have lost everything, hoping to provide some joy amidst the tragedy.
In the nearby town of Benton, Shane Cornwell dressed up as Santa for his volunteer shift at a donation site, where boxes of toys and food lined the walls of the local Elk Lodge.
Volunteers with Samaritans Purse distribute toys to people at a donation site set-up inside Graves County High School in Mayfield, Kentucky
Pastor Barb Rigdon and Pastor Tim Rigdon lead volunteers pray before organizing a toy drive and Christmas Eve celebration at Redemption City Church
Volunteers with Samaritans Purse distribute toys to people at a donation site set-up inside Graves County High School, on December 24, 2021, two weeks after a string of tornadoes wrought a path of deadly destruction, in Mayfield, Kentucky
Children of Ede Alvarez and Jose Morales play outside their destroyed house, on Christmas Eve, two weeks after a string of tornadoes wrought a path of deadly destruction, in Mayfield, Kentucky
Ede Alvarez play with her children outside her destroyed house on Christmas Eve
Jose Morales works in his destroyed house on Christmas Eve as he attempts to sort through the mess
Marisol Alvarez (L) helps her brother in law Jose Morales at his destroyed house on Christmas Eve
Children of Ede Alvarez and Jose Morales sit inside their destroyed house on Christmas Eve
The son of Ede Alvarez and Jose Morales plays outside their destroyed house on Christmas Eve
Outside, volunteers painted Christmas tree ornaments, while local families impacted by the storm collected toys from bins separated by age range.
At least 79 people lost their lives in the tornados, which passed over several states from the night of December 10 to the early morning of December 11.
'The scope and scale of this destruction is almost beyond belief,' said US President Joe Biden after touring the damage in Mayfield.
The December 10 tornadoes killed six in Illinois, five in Tennessee, two in Arkansas and two in Missouri.
The victims in Kentucky range in age from 2 months old to 98 years old.
The continuous tornado path spanned 163.5 mi, making it the longest continuous tornado track in Kentucky history. It's also the deadliest tornado outbreak in the US since May 2011, when more than 170 people were killed.
In Mayfield, more than 100 employees of the Mayfield Consumer Products candle factory braved a tornado inside the facility, with some saying they were trapped under as much as five feet of rubble.
Elijah Johnson, 20, has filed a lawsuit with 109 other employees against the family-owned candle factory in Kentucky.
They are asking for an undisclosed amount after they say they were told that if they left the factory they'd be fired - despite tornado sirens going off.
The storm left a trail of wreckage in its wake that stretched from Arkansas, where a nursing home was destroyed, to Illinois, where an Amazon distribution center was heavily damaged
Volunteers dressed as elves prepare for a toy drive and Christmas Eve lunch for residents visiting the West Kentucky 4-H Camp, a youth outdoor youth recreational facility on Christmas Eve
Members of the First Presbyterian Church and the First Christian gather for a ceremony to bid final goodbye to their church which were destroyed during the Tornado in Mayfield, Kentucky
Members of the First Presbyterian Church and the First Christian house hug each other as they gather to bid final goodbye to their respective church which were destroyed during a Tornado in Mayfield, Kentucky, on Christmas Eve
Members of the First Presbyterian Church and the First Christian house get emotional as they gather to bid final goodbye to their church which were destroyed during the Tornado in Mayfield, Kentucky, on Christmas Eve
Members of the First Presbyterian Church and the First Christian (back) gather for a ceremony to bid final goodbye to their respective church which was destroyed during the Tornado in Mayfield, Kentucky, on December 24
With the help of volunteers from around the country, families in western Kentucky will be able to celebrate Christmas on Saturday, two weeks after a string of tornadoes wrought a path of deadly destruction
People line up to get free food from a Non profit Organization - Scientology Volunteer Minister in Mayfield, Kentucky on Christmas Eve
Corey Perkins (C) Jett Perkins (R) with their dog Knight Justice arrive to get free food from a Non profit Organization - Scientology Volunteer Minister in Mayfield
Jimmy Finch prepares free food for the people in Mayfield, Kentucky
Volunteers with Samaritans Purse distribute toys to people at a donation site set-up inside Graves County High School
A man holding a candy cane and a baby laughs while other residents deposit goods into their bag during toy drive
A volunteer works at a donation camp set up by Elks Club in Benton, Kentucky. It is normally a joyous season, but in tornado-blasted Kentucky thousands of families are in crisis days before Christmas
John Stephens, looks at his daughters at his fathers's destroyed home on Christmas Eve in Mayfield, Kentucky
A Christmas ball bearing a message for Mayfield is seen hanging to a tree at a donation camp set up by Elks Club in Benton, Kentucky
Volunteers of a Non profit Organization - Scientology Volunteer Minister prepare free food for people in Mayfield, Kentucky
A battery light lights up in the Christmas Tree inside the destroyed First Presbyterian Church during a ceremony to bid final goodbye to the church in Mayfield, Kentucky on Christmas Eve
'I don't know how anything could've survived not just the tornado but the destruction that came along with it,' Gibson said
The wreckage was due to a severe storm that had hit several states on December 10, which sent several tornadoes through Kentucky (Mayfield, Kentucky pictured on December 11)
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