Slow recovery begins from West Tennessee, Kentucky storms

By: John Partipilo and Holly McCall - December 15, 2021 5:01 am

Dresden Methodist Church was destroyed early Saturday morning. (Photo: Rick Herron)

Formerly known to most Tennesseans as the home of the late governor Ned Ray McWherter, Dresden, Tennessee joins the roster of towns known by name nationally for the devastation caused by tornadoes: Xenia, Ohio. Greensburg, Kanas. Joplin, Missouri. Mayfield, Kentucky and now, Dresden.

The north side of the town’s Main Street was flattened, including City Hall and retail stores. Dresden native Rick Herron photographed some of the destruction.

The north side of Dresden's Main Street. Vaughan Brothers Hardware was formerly on the site. (Photo: Rick Herron) — The north side of Dresden’s Main Street. Vaughan Brothers Hardware was formerly on the site. (Photo: Rick Herron)

A Dresden homeowner surveys the damage at his home. (Photo: Rick Herron)

Among the organizations raising funds for disaster relief in the area is The Volunteer Center for Rural Development, which was founded by McWherter and former state representatives Roy Herron, Craig Fitzhugh and Mark Maddox. Fitzhugh is now mayor of Ripley.

And photojournalist John Partipilo has continued to document the aftereffects of the weekend’s tornadoes in Western Kentucky.

Power and words: a portion of the Mayfield Library is exposed by the storm (Photo: John Partipilo)

A Bible opened to Psalms 32 and 33: "For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him." (Photo: John Partipilo)

An American flag wrapped in a tree amid storm debris. (Photo: John Partipilo)

Tornado victim Karen Dowdy and her dog Pepe are being house with others at The Way Church and Community Center in Wingo, Kentucky, (Photo: John Partipilo)

Downtown Mayfield, Kentucky. (Photo: John Partipilo)

Molly Hughes, 30, who works at Waffle House in Mayfield sits outside of her damaged home in Mayfield, KY. (Photo: John Partipilo)

Michael Bennett sits quietly at his bed at he Way Church and Community Center in Wingo Ky. The church took in many victims in Mayfield and is providing food and shelter to those who lost homes.(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.

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