TAMMY BLAKEMORE
Encontrar fortaleza a través de la fe y la comunidad
La noche del 10 de diciembre de 2021, Tammy Blakemore se estaba preparando para recibir la visita de su hija, que vive en California. Tammy y su hija habían hablado del pronóstico del tiempo, pero Tamy no estaba demasiado preocupada porque siempre había escuchado el mito de que Mayfield estaba demasiado bajo para que un tornado lo golpeara. Le resultaba extraño que hiciera tanto calor para una noche de diciembre. Sin darse cuenta de que un tornado se dirigía hacia ella, sus pensamientos estaban más centrados en hacer recados que en buscar refugio.
A medida que los vientos se intensificaban, Tammy decidió refugiarse en su baño y al principio mantuvo la calma. Su preocupación aumentó cuando se fue la luz. Recuerda: “Le envié un mensaje de texto a mi familia y les dije que se acercaba un tornado y que los amaba. Escuché el sonido del tren del que habla la gente. Escuché los árboles golpeando mi casa. Estaba lloviendo muy fuerte. No tuve idea de lo fuerte que era hasta el día siguiente”.
Al día siguiente, Tammy descubrió la destrucción que había dejado el tornado. Árboles y ramas habían caído sobre su techo, creando un agujero que permitía que la lluvia se filtrara y dañara su dormitorio y sus muebles. Pronto, el moho y los hongos se sumaron a los daños. Las ventanas de su auto estaban destrozadas, dejándola sin poder conducir. “Estaba en modo supervivencia”, dice Tammy. “Es difícil para mí salir de casa debido a mi discapacidad. Me preocupaba que mi salud empeorara. Tenía algo de dinero, pero no lo suficiente para una estadía prolongada en un hotel. Simplemente no podía creer que esta devastación hubiera sucedido en Mayfield”.
When she finally reached her home, April found the windows blown out and her yard in chaos, but her animals, thankfully, were safe inside. She boarded up the windows and returned to her cousin’s house, where they had the blessing of a generator. The next morning, daylight revealed more damage—a compromised foundation and a smashed car—but she counted her blessings. “Everybody was okay,” she said. That’s what mattered most. No injuries.
The days and weeks that followed were a blur of hard work and heartache. The world seemed to stop. No school. No work. Just survival and recovery. April joined her church, Gracelife, in feeding both volunteers and survivors, assisting with cleanup efforts, and delivering meals. Despite her own struggles, she helped others however she could, finding comfort in the collective effort to rebuild their community. The gift of a generator allowed her and her daughter to finally return to their home—a profound blessing in a time of turmoil.
What stood out most during those difficult days were the volunteers—people from all over who came to help. Their kindness, generosity, and selflessness were nothing short of divine. “Seeing people come together to help us was God-sent,” she reflected. She prayed daily for them.
As Mayfield slowly recovered, with electricity restored and schools reopening, new challenges emerged. April’s daughter, understandably traumatized, developed a deep fear of storms and became hyper-fixated on weather forecasts. Their journey toward healing continued long after the tornado’s physical damage had been addressed.
About a year later, through an old colleague April had worked with in the past, she learned about the Mayfield Graves Long-Term Recovery Group (MGC LTRG). Skeptical at first, she didn’t expect much to come of it, as she felt opportunities like that rarely worked out in her favor. But when she received notice confirming she’d been assigned a case manager and would receive assistance, it felt like a direct answer to her prayers. “God had answered my year-long prayer of sending help for us,” she said. Working with MGC LTRG and Appalachia Service Project (ASP) was an incredible experience. She described them as “the best people around” and felt deeply grateful for the support they provided.
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Reflecting on that night and the aftermath, April knows it changed Mayfield forever. The devastation, the lives lost, and the months of recovery humbled her in profound ways. Yet, amidst the tragedy, she saw the best of humanity—the volunteers, the organizations that helped rebuild, and the neighbors who checked on one another. “It shows me that God is and always will be in control,” she concluded. December 10, 2021, was a night of unimaginable loss, but it was also a testament to resilience, faith, and the power of community.