Local Resources
Food & Shelter
An initial assessment determined that more than 400 people are likely to seek emergency overnight shelter and many will require shelter for a week or more. Saturday night there were approximately 100 individuals who sought shelter. There is concern about families who are out side of the tornado path who are staying in their homes who do not have electricity or an alternate heat source, but may need assistance with food and other items.
His House Church has food at their facility at 1250 KY Hwy 303/Cuba Road in Mayfield, KY. Contact the church for additional info at 270-247-7772.
Red Cross Shelters
These shelters will also feed families impacted by the storm.
First United Methodist Church
100 Church St.
Hickman, KY 4205
Justin Jackson
270-254-0261
Wingo Old Cumberland Presbyterian Church
334 Lebanon St, Wingo, KY 42088
Contact: Pastor RB Mays
270-983-0333
The Way Center
449 Lebanon Street, Wingo, KY, 42088
Contact: Pastor Ike Murphy
270-564-0699
Fancy Farm Knights of Columbus Hall
20 KY Hwy 39
Fancy Farm,Kentucky, 42039,
Contact: Todd Hayden, Commissioner
270-705-1051
Lone Oak First Baptist Church
3601 Lone Oak Road, Paducah, KY 42003
Contact: Pastor Hank Garner
704-699-3473
Food and Supply Dropoff Locations
A food, supply, and cash donation drop-off has been established at Heartland Worship Center off I-24 Exit 7 in Paducah. For info call 270-331-0945.
Donations
Individuals who have material donations or wish to donate cash may call 270-297-7772 or 270-331-0945.
Mayfield-Graves County Tornado Relief Fund
An account to handle cash donations has been set up through Independence Bank. Donations may be directed to the fund via Independence Bank, P.O. Box 9, Fancy Farm, Kentucky 42034. An electronic donation system will be organized as soon as possible.
Volunteers – General
At this time the response effort has sufficient volunteers. Volunteers should be part of an organized group that has a specific mission in mind. In the coming weeks volunteers will be needed to assist individual home and business owners with cleanup efforts. Groups who are organizing volunteers to assist with cleanup efforts in coming weeks should call the Tornado Volunteer Hotline at 270-727-5114 to be directed to a Google Forms site to provide information on the number of volunteers in your group, types of assistance you can provide, and times your group can be available.
Transportation
Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) District 1 crews from Ballard, McCracken, Crittenden, and Livingston counties are on-site assisting the Graves County Highway Maintenance Crew with efforts to clear as many city streets and county roads as possible over the next week. The county road departments from Graves County and Ballard County are also providing personnel and equipment. They will be working closely with local utility personnel to assure the safety of crews and the public when power lines are encountered. Initially, crews will only remove material along the roadway and sidewalks. Removal of debris from private property will wait until later. Efforts are now focused on clearing streets to facilitate a damage assessment survey. Streets where crews are working will be closed to all traffic as required. We would like to emphasize that this operation is for street clearing only. Efforts to remove debris from private property will be organized at a later date.
Photo Documentation for Insurance and FEMA
Prior to removing any debris from their property, residents with tornado damage should take photos to have for insurance documentation. These photos will also assist community leaders as they seek disaster assistance from FEMA and other agencies.
Traffic Signals
Due to power outages we have a number of traffic signals out of service across the region. 4-Way Stop signs have been placed at these intersections. There have been a number of crashes around the region at these locations when drivers did not exercise patience. When you encounter a 4-Way Stop use appropriate caution. Look and look again before entering the intersection.
Family Unification
His House Church is establishing a center to assist those with missing family members. The center will collect basic information to be shared with police agencies who are attempting to more accurately determine the number of missing. His House Church is located at 1250 KY Hwy 303/Cuba Road, Mayfield, KY.
Security
50 National Guard members are on-site to assist law enforcement with security. More are expected to arrive on Monday. There is a 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. curfew for Mayfield and parts of Graves County impacted by the tornado. Police will aggressively enforce this curfew.
Medical Services
Jackson Purchase Median Center is at capacity. Additional ambulances will be stationed at the hospital to assist with patient transfers should the need arise.
Special Note on Use of Generators
Homeowners using generators should be aware of the potential for carbon monoxide poisoning. Keep generators away from windows and doors. Use caution when fueling to avoid the opportunity for fire. Use caution to prevent generators from back feeding along power lines. Homeowners should also be aware of the hazards associated with the use of unvented space heater and other alternate heat sources that can create hazardous conditions or cause fire.
DDH: Overview
The national Disaster Distress Helpline (DDH) provides crisis counseling and support for anyone in the U.S. experiencing distress or other behavioral health concerns related to any natural or human-caused disaster. Calls and texts to 1-800-985-5990 are answered by a network of independently-operated crisis centers around the country, who provide psychological first aid, emotional support, crisis assessment and intervention, and referrals to local/state behavioral health services for follow-up care & support.
The DDH offers direct crisis counseling and support for Deaf or hard of hearing American Sign Language users via a dedicated videophone option. Disaster survivors and responders can connect with trained DDH crisis workers fluent in ASL in two ways:
Additional Resources
The SAMHSA DDH website has a page dedicated to Tornadoes and Severe Storms distress risk factors and warning signs, and resources for coping https://bit.ly/3EQAMfN which can be added to any online resource web pages created in relation to this incident
The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) has several free resources on helping children cope after a tornado https://bit.ly/3GBFgHy