Approximately 148 people were displaced by Saturday night’s EF2 tornado with 135 mph winds that damaged four buildings at the Eagle Crossing Apartments on Calvin Drive and there are ways you can help.
Christian County Emergency Management Director Randy Graham says the best way to help the storm victims is to donate cash through a GoFundMe account set up by Brookside Properties.
Clothing and other items can be dropped off during the day at the Hopkinsville Salvation Army office.
Graham says residents were able to move back into two of the apartment buildings, but at least two of the buildings are total losses.
Seventy-two of 105 total units at Eagle Crossing are uninhabitable and Graham says the Housing Authority of Hopkinsville and Red Cross are working together to find housing for the displaced individuals.
Emergency shelter was initially established at the Recreation Department for use Saturday and Sunday night. On Monday, the American Red Cross began moving any displaced residents to Saint Johns United Methodist Church.
Nine people sustained non-life-threatening injuries at Eagle Crossing and three were treated at Jennie Stuart Medical Center.
Clean-up and recovery volunteers are being coordinated by Hopkinsville Public Works which has already started the clean-up process. To volunteer your support, one can call (270) 890-0700.
Hopkinsville Mayor Carter Hendricks says “Our community is so thankful and grateful to the utility linemen, police and fire personnel, emergency management staff, and property management team at Eagle Crossing who communicated effectively and worked together seamlessly to mitigate losses caused by the storm and related tornado as much as possible.”
The City notes in a news release that a Code Red was never sent to residents during the storm due to the lack of a Tornado Warning from the National Weather Service. Sirens were never activated for the same reason. Western Kentucky had been under a Tornado Watch for several hours and was under a Severe Thunderstorm Warning when the twister struck.
