DAWSON SPRINGS, Ky. (WEHT) — One year ago, a tornado ripped through Dawson Springs, leaving a path of destruction and claimed the lives at 13 people. Today, the community came together to reflect on the past year and remember the lives lost. Dozens of people gathered at the tornado memorial at Dawson Springs City Park, including Jason Cummins and Greg Grisham.
“It is something that I have dreaded the past couple weeks or months, but it is nice that the community has done a memorial,” says Cummins.
“It is great to see the community still come out, whether the temperature is 20 or 50 degrees. It is heartwarming to see them come out,” Grisham says.
Both men lost their mother on December 10. Today, they came to see her name, engraved in the stone.
“It has been hard. I used to talk to her every night, and to just not have that anymore, it has been hard to go through a day without that,” Cummins says.
“I would come up and check on them and see if they needed anything. I had to take mom to the doctor’s appointments. It has been an adjustment. I have gone to counseling and it has helped,” says Grishman.
Throughout the day, the community came together to lift each other up. One of the churches badly damaged in the tornado was Dawson Springs Primitive Baptist Church, who met for a special service today. Charles Robinson has been coming to the church for the past six months. He lost his home in the tornado.
“There has been a lot of difficult times,” he says.
Pastor Jeff Winfery says he has seen complete devastation turn into blessings.
“There is no doubt I have seen some of the worst things in my life, and in that time, in a strange way, I have seen some of the best things in my life. So many people have come from different places and the community has come together,” he says.
