Residents of Mayfield Health and Rehabilitation Nursing Home survived tornado

2021-12-14 22:09:04 By : Mr. Gang Liu

Just before sunset, residents of Mayfield Health and Rehabilitation Nursing Home squatted in a facility in a small western Kentucky town to practice tornadoes. 

They closed the blinds. They closed the curtains. They slowly dragged them from the room into the corridor wearing slippers, and then moved to the innermost part of the facility, where the staff covered them with blankets.

Little did they know that this practice would save their lives in a few hours.

Sarah Stewart, Regional Operations Director of ClearView Healthcare Management, said that despite what employees call a miracle, all 74 residents in the facility a few blocks outside the city center were spared—despite unprecedented The cyclone directly hit the 35,000-square-foot building on Friday.

Only two of them suffered minor injuries-they had wounds on the surface of their arms and did not require external medical treatment.

Stewart said on Monday: “It’s really a miracle to keep so many people alive when you see the destruction of a building.” “These are fragile elderly people who cannot run. The staff risked their lives to protect them. This is The best result."

The Mayfield tornado was one of about 30 tornadoes that landed on Friday night. According to the latest news from Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, the tornado traveled more than 200 miles, demolished at least 1,000 houses in Kentucky, and caused at least 70 confirmed deaths. As of Monday, there are still more than 100 The whereabouts of the person is unknown.

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The storm system also swept parts of Arkansas, Tennessee, Missouri, and Illinois.

The four-wing single-level nursing facility in Mayfield suffered catastrophic damage and was declared completely damaged by an insured agent on Monday. It is one of three nursing homes in a 10,000-person town about 25 miles east of Illinois.

Jagged glass lined the broken windows of the dilapidated facility near Indiana Avenue, and one of the wings was completely flat.

A black wheelchair full of residents' belongings sits outside the main entrance of the building. Next to it is a black-framed family portrait collage with school photos of elementary school students, supported by transparent garbage bags full of clothes.

Stewart said that the other two facilities, Mills Nursing & Rehabilitation and Green Acres Healthcare, were not damaged. 

Stewart said that although the house was temporarily out of power during the storm, the generators in place soon started up.

Three days later, the facility still has no water. The same is true for the entire town.

Before the cyclone touched down in Mayfield, Stewart said staff recently removed eight residents from one of the four wings for construction.

On the night of the tornado, the wing was razed to the ground.

"It's hard to say that there isn't some divine intervention there," Stewart said.

On the night of the tornado, Stewart said that when an emergency occurred, about 20 staff members in the now collapsed facility were paying close attention to the local weather broadcast.

At about 9 pm, they realized that Mayfield was in the direct path of the storm. The staff began to bring residents and staff to the center of the building.

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At 9:27 in the evening, a tornado struck.

When it was safe, the staff helped the residents to evacuate with the help of some of the families of residents who rushed to the scene.

They mark them with stickers to ensure that everyone is taken into account.

Graves County School sends residents to other facilities, including Mills and Green Acres.

Stewart said that in terms of Monday’s cleanup, St. John’s Catholic Church offered to store salvageable supplies, equipment and food. St. John Knights of Columbus Council 10962 also assists in transporting and loading supplies, removing debris, and providing meals and manpower.

She said staff at sister nursing home facilities in Owensboro, Letchfield, Madisonville and Glasgow also helped.

In the town of Green Acres Healthcare less than two miles away, dozens of white garbage bags containing some residents’ belongings lined up on the floor of the hall.

Green Acres administrator Dana Radford said that when the tornado landed, the facility accommodated 42 residents. On Monday, it had a capacity of 62.

Radford, who just joined two weeks ago, said: "We have a large number of people coming out to participate and donate." "We are so lucky. We can't even keep up with everyone now."

Outside the front door of the facility, Cara Sue Cash from West Paducah left the facility with her 79-year-old father Bill Cash after visiting her mother.

"They are just scrambling now. Poor nurse, but they are doing a good job to keep up," Cash said. "The emergence from this community and surrounding communities is really amazing."

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Behind her, Sarah Wagoner, Regional Culinary Services Director of Next Level Hospitality Services, stood near her two Honda Accords.

Since Saturday, Wagner has delivered items to three nursing homes in western Bluegrass State and other affected nursing homes.

"Mayfield's kitchen was completely destroyed, but the pantry and linen storeroom were completely untouched," she said. "My goal is (the kitchen), but if the facilities need towels, laundry, bed sheets, I will get them."

As of Monday afternoon, she had shipped 27 boxes of water, 4 boxes of cereal, 12 boxes of canned food, 15 boxes of plates, 5 boxes of bowls, 6 boxes of cups and countless silverware, napkins, straws and garbage bags.

Opposite the Nursing Home in Mills, 28-year-old Kandice Briguglio (Kandice Briguglio) drove a four-door orange Dodge Charger, dragged the water and blanket boxes to the back of the facility, and put down a few boxes of water and blankets— -Including a large yellow and gray blanket full of owls.

The facility had 98 residents on Friday. On Monday, it accommodated 104.

"I took the baby's first blanket and left," Weffield's mother said of the colorful bird blanket she donated to the elderly. "I want to make sure that someone is not cold."

Behind her, 6-year-old daughter Kinslaea Whitis, wearing a pink hat and pink boots, sat in the back seat, listening to her mother.

Natalie Neysa Alund is based in Nashville, Tennessee and reports breaking news from the South for USA Today. Contact her at nalund@tennessean.com and follow her on Twitter @nataliealund.