Rebuilding tornado-ravaged town could take years

MAYFIELD, Ky. (AP) — Although his birthday is still a few days away, 60-year-old Harley Kelso knows what he's getting from his sister.

The retired truck driver, whose home and car were battered by last week's tornado — one of dozens that ripped across the South and Midwest, killing at least 90 people — said his sister is bringing chainsaws and her two sons to his home in hard-hit Mayfield to cut apart a tree that's resting on his family's minivan.

"I lost my car and the corner of my porch," Kelso said, sporting a T-shirt that read World's Greatest Papa. "I'm just glad everyone in the neighborhood survived."

Such gratitude may sound odd in the aftermath of a long-track tornado that demolished huge parts of Mayfield, but it's a common refrain these days in this tight-knit community of 10,000 people.

Even with his minivan crumpled under a giant tree, most of his front yard hanging from its roots, smashed windows and a home with no power or running water, Kelso says he's well aware that things could have been worse — and resolute if not downright upbeat about the task ahead.

"I'm going to bring a hot breakfast to my daughter," he said with a smile, clutching a bag of breakfast tacos dropped off by one of the dozens of volunteers combing the neighborhood, offering a hot meal or a cold drink.

President Joe Biden, who visited the community Wednesday and described the damage as some of the worst he's seen, vowed the full support of the federal government to help the town rebuild.

"I intend to do whatever it takes as long as it takes to support your state, your local leaders, as you recover and rebuild, and you will recover and rebuild," the president said, standing before a decimated town center.

Among the biggest and most pressing challenges facing Mayfield and other devastated communities is removing the mountains of debris that the storms turned homes and businesses into, Kentucky Emergency Management Director Michael Dossett said.

"This is going to be one of the largest pieces of the recovery," Dossett said Thursday during a press conference at the state Capitol in Frankfort. "Debris removal is one of the most important pieces because it is part and parcel to rebuilding not just the city infrastructure, but for all of our homeowners."