Tornado Remembrance
Within a few days, hours, minutes, and seconds the remaining townspeople gather to commemorate the EF-4 twister that rolled through Dawson Springs on December 10 and 11, 2021. The storms path stretched nearly 250 miles, took 81 lives, and caused infinite damage.
Many communities gather to honor an event that stole lifelong homes, cherished memories, and joyful lives. Why does humanity waste time and funding on remembrance of disaster?
My voice has become the most valuable tool left after the events of this act of nature. Each person has a personal perspective of their experience that night. My story does not take away from others, nor was mine the most tragic. This post has been written to aid other victims of natural tragedy.
Before this night, I read most anything to improve my life, and how I cope with the environment around me. I read a book by Anita Agers-Brooks several years ago, “Getting Through What You Can’t Get Over.” At the time, I believed the book was never going to affect me. Never say “never.”
I’m still not through events associated with the tornado. I was considered an exceptional person who was responsible enough to have insurance, award winning business, and assists others financially and through service. Do not “assume.”
To any person who goes through trauma from an “Act of Nature” you have not died—yet! No matter how you feel today, just get up. That has become the only responsible thing you have to do each day.
I survived a ten month insurance battle. Why so long? I hired a public adjuster to responsibly assess the 15’ x 45’ parapet opening in my 1898 historic building, which was under renovation. My insurance adjuster said keep the receipt you will be covered. I had to pay $10,000 for the Blue Team to cover the roof temporarily. A roof that had been installed for $12,000 by Kirkman Commercial Roofing only months before the tornado. Kirkman was guaranteed for 18 years. Blue Team’s repair started leaking after a week, plus they started legal action before the claim was finalized. I guess everyone needs their money.
My business was books. Water does not have mercy on paper. Try pouring a cup of water on your favorite book. By January 1, less than thirty days, I had to dissolve my book business. My day was consumed with cleaning fallen brick, documenting damages, and re tarp of a roof that leaked onto books and the newly renovated Venue. From the outside there was no visible damage, but rarely another human’s problems are seen by others.
No insurance or business assistance at the time, how can I help others? Assistance came galore, however while they slept…a lone person cleaned his portion of the block. Why? To this day I beat him down for turning off his phone to ignore the tornado warnings. Those warnings kept me awake. Turn the phone off and the world would shut down, right. I have eased up on him a little. The phone has been silenced by sleep mode, but rarely off. I also gave him three suitcases to live from until he heals. If these suitcases are separated, any one can suffice for a week.
The remembrance of this storm deserves no more moments or dollars to remember. Give both time or money to someone going through a challenge today. Remember victims, “Each day get up.”
