On December 10, 2021 a devastating outbreak of tornadoes ripped through several several U.S. states, focusing much of its fury on Mayfield, Kentucky, where dozens were killed and neighborhoods left unrecognizable. I spent the following 10 days on the ground in western Kentucky documenting the devastation and human toll. These communities face deeply inflicted trauma and unimaginable loss. The road to recovery will be long, likely spanning lifetimes.
Photography and reporting for Reuters.
Kentucky Tornados
A water tower for the town is seen destroyed in the aftermath of a tornado in Mayfield, Kentucky, U.S. December 13, 2021.
Local residents walk past the scene of a train derailment after devastating outbreak of tornadoes ripped through several U.S. states in Earlington, Kentucky, U.S. December 11, 2021.
Denise Jones, 37, cries on the shoulder of her friend and neighbor Vinisha Stubblefield, 38, after receiving cash donations from a local resident and a church group in Mayfield, Kentucky, U.S. December 15, 2021. “It’s almost like a dream, it’s not even real to me,” said Denise, “it’s like something I can’t wake up from.”
A view out of a bedroom window inside the home of the Cato family after a devastating outbreak of tornadoes ripped through several U.S. states in Mayfield, Kentucky, U.S. December 12, 2021.
James Strickland, 42, a houseless man, walks through the wreckage of his friends home where he has been staying and guarding after a devastating outbreak of tornadoes ripped through several U.S. states in Mayfield, Kentucky, U.S. December 13, 2021. “I have only been able to take bits and pieces of it in,” said James, “it hurts so much to see what was once a thriving beautiful town.”
A home is seen crushed by a tree after a devastating outbreak of tornadoes ripped through several U.S. states in Mayfield, Kentucky, U.S. December 11, 2021
Rick Foley, 70, walks though his bedroom after an outbreak of tornadoes ripped through several U.S. states in Mayfield, Kentucky, U.S. December 11, 2021. “I was in the middle of it, just trying to pull the pieces together now,” said Rick who survived the storm crouched in a doorway inside his home.
Vicky Fichter, 63, smokes a cigarette while sitting inside her car which had its windows blown out and are now covered with plastic sheeting after a devastating outbreak of tornadoes ripped through several U.S. states, in Mayfield, Kentucky, U.S., December 12, 2021. REUTERS/Cheney
A general view of a bedroom inside the home of the Cato family after a devastating outbreak of tornadoes ripped through several U.S. states in Mayfield, Kentucky, U.S. December 12, 2021.
Denise Jones, 37, embraces her sons Tae Perry, 19, and Devin Perry, 18, as the family visits their home for the first time since the night of the storm after a devastating outbreak of tornadoes ripped through several U.S. states in Mayfield, Kentucky, U.S. December 15, 2021. “It’s almost like a dream, it’s not even real to me,” said Denise, “it’s like something I can’t wake up from.”
Dried wax is seen amongst the rubble of the Mayfield Consumer Products candle factory where eight people died after a devastating outbreak of tornadoes that ripped through several U.S. states, in Mayfield, Kentucky, U.S., December 17, 2021.
Jay Harrison, 19, carries a cross he made out of debris after a devastating outbreak of tornadoes ripped through several U.S. states in Mayfield, Kentucky, U.S. December 12, 2021.
Christopher Bowlin, 24, sits by a fire outside his home to boil eggs and stay warm after a devastating outbreak of tornadoes ripped through several U.S. states in Mayfield, Kentucky, U.S. December 11, 2021.
Anthony Vasquez, 42, kisses the foot of his four month old son Michael inside a makeshift shelter to house people who lost their homes after a devastating outbreak of tornadoes ripped through several U.S. states in Wingo, Kentucky, U.S. December 11, 2021.
Devin Perry, 18, (left) and his brother Tae Perry, 19, look out their mom’s bedroom window when visiting their home for the first time since the night of the storm after a devastating outbreak of tornadoes ripped through several U.S. states in Mayfield, Kentucky, U.S. December 15, 2021. “I had to walk over four dead bodies to get to my family members,” he recalls. “That’s more difficult than a lot of people understand.” Even now, sometimes when he tries to go to sleep, the sounds of people screaming following the storm reverberate in his memory. “This is our home. This is where we were born,” he says. “We have nothing left. But you can’t give up, because if you give up, that means everything you worked for was for nothing.”
Anthony Moss, 34, takes his dogs for their morning walk amongst the wreckage of his neighborhood after a devastating outbreak of tornadoes ripped through several U.S. states in Mayfield, Kentucky, U.S. December 16, 2021.
A fallen tree in a graveyard after a devastating outbreak of tornadoes ripped through several U.S. states in Mayfield, Kentucky, U.S. December 17, 2021.
Candie Valero, 18, stands in what once was a hallway of the home she has lived inner entire life after a devastating outbreak of tornadoes ripped through several U.S. states in Mayfield, Kentucky, U.S. December 14, 2021.
Timothy McDill, 48, hugs his neighbors Marge Conner, 77, after a devastating outbreak of tornadoes ripped through several U.S. states in Mayfield, Kentucky, U.S. December 11, 2021. Neither had seen each other since before the night of the storm and had been concerned about the others safely and survival.
Jason Cato, 16, stands where the front door of his home once hung after a devastating outbreak of tornadoes ripped through several U.S. states in Mayfield, Kentucky, U.S. December 12, 2021.
Family members grieve near the casket of corrections officer Robert Daniel which lies open at the Brown Funeral Home in Mayfield, Kentucky, U.S., December 18, 2021. Officer Daniel was killed on December 10 while directing workers and inmates, under his care, to safety inside the Mayfield Consumer Products candle factory.
The funeral procession for corrections officer Robert Daniel passes a street lined with rubble and debris in Mayfield, Kentucky, U.S., December 18, 2021. Officer Daniel was killed on December 10 while directing workers and inmates, under his care, to safety.
Law enforcement officers hold hands during the burial of corrections officer Robert Daniel at the Maplewood Cemetery in Mayfield, Kentucky, U.S., December 18, 2021. Officer Daniel was killed on December 10 while directing workers and inmates, under his care.
Sisters Julianna Sims, 21, and Natalie, 15 embrace while visiting the destroyed theater at the American Legion in Mayfield, Kentucky, U.S., December 18, 2021. Julianna, who has been away at college returned to her hometown this weekend and walked around sharing emotional memories with her sister. “You take your hometown for granted because you think it will always be there, and now it’s not,” she said. “It looks like like the finger of God touched down on the Earth and left destruction in its wake."