Six Months After Deadly Tornadoes, Kentucky Rebuilding

By CnAgri2012-09-06 01:31:16 Print

Sunday marked six months since several devastating tornadoes tore through Kentucky, killing two dozen people and damaging thousands of homes and businesses. After a recent visit to West Liberty in Morgan County, Governor Steve Beshear said that many of the affected communities have made tremendous progress in repairs and rebuilding.

"As soon as the storms cleared out, I instructed every state agency that the recovery was an all-hands-on-deck situation," said Gov. Beshear. "Our teams worked hand in hand with the federal government and local governments to make sure our citizens got the help they needed as quickly as possible. We also worked to restore necessary government services, such as the county clerk offices, within days. I'm proud of all these communities for their resilience and their tenacity in rebuilding and recovering."

While many counties sustained significant damage in the storms, West Liberty saw most of its main governmental buildings destroyed -- including the current courthouse as well as a new courthouse that was still under construction.

A group of state agencies worked alongside the Kentucky Emergency Management Agency and local officials to find appropriate temporary locations for state offices and assist local officials in restoring access to needed services.

In many cases, the state has records that were critically important to storm victims. The state agencies worked together to set up temporary offices that allowed residents to quickly replace a driver's license, register a vehicle, check on child support, or to complete any other task related to state government.

Kentucky Emergency Management and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) approved millions of dollars in assistance for survivors of the tornadoes and severe weather occurring Feb. 29-March 3, 2012.

Thousands of survivors contacted FEMA for help or information regarding disaster assistance.