BREMEN, Ky. (LEX 18) — December 10, 2022 marks a year since a deadly tornado outbreak killed 80 people in Western Kentucky.
Eleven of those 80 people were from the community of Bremen, which is in Muhlenberg County.
In the days after the storm, a video went viral of a man playing a gospel song on the piano in the wreckage of his home.
LEX 18 Chief Photojournalist Brian Stahl met up with Jordan Baize to talk about his story of survival and to see what's changed in the year since.
Jordan Baize and his family huddled in the basement of his home after concerning weather warnings.
“The five of us were on our hands and knees with a mattress over our head, holding it in place,” said Baize. “You could hear it coming and you could hear it when it was on top of you."
He says what greeted them when they stepped out of the basement was shocking.
"We stepped up on the main landing of the house and it's raining on our heads,” said Baize. “You look up and see streak lightning in your living room and it took me a second, but I remember saying our home is gone."
The next morning, people were at his home helping him salvage things when he spotted his piano in the corner.
"So I sat down to play and it was in remarkably good shape for what it had just been through," said Baize.
His sister recorded that on her phone and posted it on Facebook. It went viral within hours.
“It was a private moment meant for me only, but it became a source of piece and perspective in an otherwise terrible time," said Baize
The very next Friday, Baize was invited to play the same song on the stage of the Grand Ole’ Opry in Nashville.
The attention from his performance resulted in people offering financial donations to help the community.
"We've created a fund through my church that we're going to construct community storm shelters with and our goal is to create an app for our county that on a map would show these shelters," said Baize.
Baize says despite what happened, he’s thankful to be able to share his love of faith and community with people from all over.
"Most folks on the night of December 10 weren't affected by the storm, but they were all going through a storm and I think that video said hey — this guy has had a rough day, but he's ok. Maybe I can be ok too," said Baize.
Baize recently shot a video for the Grand Ole' Opry, giving an update about the repairs still going on in Muhlenberg County and the healing of the community.
He and his kids recently moved in to his childhood home.
They have plans to rebuild a home on their property, but Baize says he's not in any hurry and wants people who really need a place to call their own to get an opportunity to rebuild first.
