MAYFIELD, Ky. — Indiana Task Force 1 is back home after nearly a week of recovery and rescue operations in Kentucky, where tornadoes killed more than 70 people.
Indiana Task Force 1 pulled into their headquarters on the west side of Indianapolis just before 2:00 p.m. Thursday. Forty-nine members were welcomed home from a rescue and recovery mission that was not as far away as many missions.
"It was unique,” said Tom Neal, Indiana Task Force 1 program manager. “We kept saying normally in an emergency response, it starts local and ends local. It’s neighbor helping neighbor. In this instance, it's us the state of Indiana helping our neighbors in the state of Kentucky."
Indiana Task Force 1 left Saturday and joined the search for survivors or victims at the Mayfield Consumer Products candle factory in Mayfield, Kentucky, where eight employees were killed by a tornado. There were many people still missing in Kentucky when the team headed south. But Indiana Task Force 1 did not make a rescue or recovery on this mission.
"That's a blessing,” said Neal. “When we first arrived at Mayfield, we were given a number of 36 that were still unaccounted for."
"Every day we're getting updated numbers, going through doing our tasks with the same goal in mind,” said Indiana Task Force 1 member Kevin Jones. “When we completed that task and nobody was in there, it really is a sigh of relief. Because while we're there to do that and make those recoveries and bring closure to the families, when we don't have to deal with that and take on that mental trauma, that's a big relief for everybody."
Indiana Task Force 1 was then reassigned to search through tornado damage in Dawson Springs, gaining more respect for the powerful force of nature.
“It's so important to take the alerts and the warnings serious because of just how devastating it was,” said Jones. “We drive through neighborhoods and see that everything is gone. That was one comment that one of the guys made was just … you don't see parts of the roof and there's parts of the houses and things that you should see there. They're nowhere to be found."
Task force members are tested for COVID-19 and required to take 48 hours rehab rest before returning to work.
Eight states recorded at least 41 tornadoes on Dec. 10 and 11. Storm-related casualties in the five states hit hardest has risen to 89. At least 75 people in Kentucky died in the storms. Victims in Kentucky range in age from a 2-month-old to a 98-year-old. At least 12 of the victims in Kentucky are children.
13News is teaming up with the American Red Cross and its sister stations in Kentucky, Arkansas, Missouri and Tennessee to raise money to help those impacted by the severe weather this past weekend.
It’s easy to donate – all you have to do is text the word TORNADO to 9-0-9-9-9. The text message will send a quick $10 donation. Other donations can be made by calling 800-733-2767 or visiting redcross.org online.
Information, including suggestions on how to find someone affected by the storm, can be found here.