U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky made a stop in Hopkinsville Wednesday to talk with local officials about tornado recovery efforts.
Senator McConnell visited multiple communities Wednesday along with Hopkinsville, including Campbellsville and Bowling Green, and says that many challenge still persist even well over a month following the deadly December tornadoes. He says one of the biggest challenges is finding avenues and resources to get people back into their homes, many of which were outright destroyed.
Hopkinsville was hit by an EF2 tornado on New Years Day that destroyed businesses and homes in the area of East Ninth and Walnut Streets, and Mayor Wendell Lynch says the process to get a disaster declaration for that event is still ongoing.
Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer is set to retire soon, and Senator McConnell says senators will have to see who President Biden nominates before deciding whether or not to support them.
Both Mayor Lynch and Pembroke Mayor Judy Peterson say there still remains much work to be done to complete clean-up efforts—especially in Pembroke, with Mayor Peterson saying she believes the clean-up to be roughly half-way done.