Biden Inspects Western Kentucky Tornado Damage

By John Partipilo and Holly McCall, Tennessee Lookout

December 16, 2021

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.

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.

His full gallery can be viewed here.

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