Four years after the December 10 tornadoes, communities stand strong

It’s been four years to the day since a tornado outbreak devastated parts of western Kentucky and killed 81 Kentuckians, and the work continues to rebuild in their wake.

The most famous tornado from the night of December 10 was the Quad-State Tornado that traveled 165 miles from the time it touched down and lasted for nearly three hours, single-handedly demolishing parts of Mayfield, Princeton, Dawson Springs, Bremen and many other small communities and killing dozens. It can’t be forgotten that a second destructive tornado traced its way up from Tennessee, heavily impacting communities such as Pembroke and southern Christian County, carving a path over to Bowling Green before it would finally lift.

The death toll would come to be 81 from that tornado outbreak, the deadliest in Kentucky history. It was a time of great loss in the Commonwealth, with many communities still rebuilding and recovering to this day—it was a dark time for the people of western Kentucky.

But in the days that followed, an outpouring of love, support and shared grief would come not just from the communities themselves, but from people across the world. Governor Andy Beshear says it showed what Kentuckians are truly made of.

The commitment to rebuild remains, as these small communities have shown that they will not vanish without a fight, with the governor in several places earlier this week handing out keys to new homes to families that lost it all four years ago.

Dawson Springs is hosting a candlelight vigil in memory of those lives lost and a community forever changed by the events of that night, with the ceremony set for Wednesday at 6 p.m. at their memorial location at the City Park.