LONDON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Debris cleanup continues at London-Corbin Airport as the community recovers from severe weather that struck Friday night.
"This has been devastating. It's been hard seeing our people go through what happen here the other night," London Mayor Randall Weddle said.
Days after the storm, London police officers remain active throughout the community, providing assistance to affected residents.
"Since it's happened, we've been going nonstop," said London Police Officer Hobie Daugherty.
With numerous residents impacted by the severe weather, London police needed to develop a more efficient system to manage assistance requests.
"We had to get organized with this. Though we had our initial response and ongoing efforts. We had to move into a direction towards a more to a more centralize to help get out the resources that are needed," Daugherty said.
The department established a command center at the London-Corbin Airport on Sunday to coordinate relief efforts.
Since the command center opened, donations have poured in, including baby formula, cleaning supplies, and pet care items—essential goods providing relief to those affected by the storm.
"They lost everything. To be able to come up here and get essentials to brush their teeth or deodorant. It's small things like that. It will make an impact on their lives when they are literally building from the ground up this point forward," Daugherty said.
As cleanup efforts continue and residents begin recovering from the storm, Mayor Weddle expressed confidence in the community's resilience.
"I want to make sure that people understand. London and Laurel County will rebuild. This is a resilient community, and we are going do this, but we are going to do it together," Weddle said.
Mayor Weddle noted that the most urgent donation needs are supplies to assist with debris removal, including gloves, tarps, and garbage bags.
The Command Center will be open as long as it is needed.
