The Look in Brief

Biden inspects Western Kentucky tornado damage

By: John Partipilo and Holly McCall - December 16, 2021 1:25 pm

Two Amish men continue their routine of delivering milk, while an American flag flies at half staff. (Photo: John Partipilo)

Two Amish men deliver meals while an American flag flies at half staff. (Photo: John Partipilo)

President Joe Biden visited Dawson Springs, Kentucky on Wednesday as part of a tour of areas damaged by powerful storms over the weekend.

Photojournalist John Partipilo was also in Dawson Springs, documenting the devastation.

The presidential motorcade heads out of downtown Dawson Springs for a rural neighborhood nearby. (Photo: John Partipilo)

President Biden's Secret Service agents precede him up in a Dawson Springs neighborhood. (Photo: John Partipilo)

Tim and Julie Creekmur wash their hands with bottled water after spending most of the day salvaging furniture and clothing from their destroyed home. (Photo: John Partipilo)

Tim and Julie Creekmur's grandchildren eat a meal brought to them by volunteers. (Photo: John Partipilo)

Bill Cobb had his possessions looted at his home and put up signage to let thieves know there was nothing else to loot. (Photo: John Partipilo)

Brandon Clark (with walker) got a huge gash to his leg during the storm. Here, he walks down the street to his house with wife Georgia, left, and friends Laura and Tyler Shephard. (Photo: John Partipilo)

Former Kentucky governor Steve Beshear, father of current Gov. Andy Beshear, hails from the small town, where 12 people died in the storms.

Dawson Springs has a high poverty rate, with median income of for Dawson Springs households is $22,670. The per capita income is $14,650. About a quarter of all families live under the poverty line and with many homes in the area leveled, rebuilding is uncertain.

Partipilo trained his camera on the human elements of the storm, including a resident hurt by flying debris during the Saturday morning storm, two Amish men delivering milk through a wasteland of broken and splintered trees and residents posting signs telling looters to stay away.

Sunset falls on a Dawson Springs neighborhood. The destruction of homes in the area was massive. (Photo: John Partipilo)

Casey Randolph sits in what left of his car, next to what is left of his house in Dawson Springs, Kentucky. He lived there for 37 years and lost everything. (Photo: John Partipilo)

A Trump supporter was on hand to heckle President Joe Biden when the presidential motorcade drove by the square. (Photo: John Partipilo)

Amish women prepare meals for residents who lost their homes in Dawson Springs, Kentucky. (Photo: John Partipilo)

Jennifer Burden holds her granddaughter, Zelphia, next to the family's home, destroyed by the storms. (Photo: John Partipilo)

Denisha Randolph, 20, lost her cat Midnight during the storm but he showed at her house on Wednesday. (Photo: John Partipilo)

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John Partipilo

Working as a photojournalist for 40 years, Partipilo has won awards such as NPPA Best of Photojournalism and nominated for two Pulitzers. His photography has also been featured in national and international publications. Most importantly Partipilo’s work is about people — people in their different environments and people in their different stages of life. That’s the heart of his work. To him people are so important, because they all have a unique story.

Holly McCall

Holly McCall has been a fixture in Tennessee media and politics for decades. She covered city hall for papers in Columbus, Ohio and Joplin, Missouri before returning to Tennessee with the Nashville Business Journal. She has served as political analyst for WZTV Fox 17 and provided communications consulting for political campaigns at all levels, from city council to presidential. Holly brings a deep wealth of knowledge about Tennessee’s political processes and players and likes nothing better than getting into the weeds of how political deals are made.