The Lt. Governor of Kentucky was in Hopkinsville Sunday afternoon, surveying damage caused by Friday’s severe storms and speaking with local leaders.
Speaking with local media, Lt. Governor Jacqueline Coleman says she saw a lot of damage—including the major damage to the Mixer on Sixth Street, the Woody Winfree Fire Museum and numerous homes and other buildings—but she also saw a lot of the community coming together.
She says its people like Heather and Graham Dawson, who made the right decision to send people home due to the weather, and the people of the community reaching out to help each other, that makes Kentucky what it is.
Coleman says the state will work with local government to figure out what assistance is needed to help Hopkinsville recover.
Mayor J.R. Knight says plans are already underway to bring the Mixer back and better than ever, with people already hard at work on the building Sunday.
Christian County Judge-Executive Jerry Gilliam says the county seems to have avoided much damage from the storm, and he praised emergency management for their actions recently.
Lt. Governor Coleman was accompanied on her tour of the damage by numerous city and county officials, including Kentucky and Christian County Emergency Management, several city councilmembers and local community leaders.
Survey reports from the National Weather Service say at this time, the damage is believed to have been caused by straight line winds moving at roughly 90 miles per hour.