Interview with Mary Davidson, June 4, 2022

Partial Transcript: Today's date is June 4th, 2022--

Segment Synopsis: Mary Davidson talks about her background as a life-long resident of Mayfield, describing the family she has in the area. She discusses some of her family's traditions, like attending the monthly trade day at the fair grounds. Davidson describes her path to becoming a nurse in 2021. She describes her home in Hickory, a community just north of Mayfield.

Keywords: Hickory (Ky.); Mayfield Fair Grounds; Trade day; Mayfield (Ky.)

Partial Transcript: Thinking about the, uh, tornado events--

Segment Synopsis: Davidson discusses her preparations to work the night shift at the nursing home in Mayfield on December tenth. She says she worked with other employees to ready the facility for the weather. Davidson describes the tornado's effects on the building, and mentions that the pressure sucked objects out of the building. Davidson says she held onto a resident as the tornado struck and describes the actions of the other employees during the tornado, emphasizing that their main goal was protecting the residents of the facility.

Keywords: Emergency preparations; Natural disasters; Nursing homes; Residents; Severe weather; Tornadoes; Mayfield (Ky.)

Partial Transcript: And then, um, so, as the tornado passed over--

Segment Synopsis: Davidson describes the procedure they used to account for and evacuate the residents of the nursing home. Davidson says that much of the extremities of the building and the roof of the nursing home were badly damaged. Davidson says that people living close to the home helped rescue and transport some of the residents and recalls the process of addressing the concerns of the residents, and relocating them to other nearby facilities. Davidson says that the residents were mostly in good spirits, but the experience was painful for her because she had worked there for years.

Keywords: Natural disasters; Nursing homes; Residents; Severe weather; Tornadoes; Weather damage; Mayfield (Ky.)

Partial Transcript: You spoke earlier about how you're a trained first responder--

Segment Synopsis: Davidson discusses her history as a first responder. She says that the trainings she did helped her remain calm the night of the tornado. Davidson recalls later going to the Emergency Operations Center where she volunteered her help answering phones. She didn't return to work at the nursing home until a few weeks later.

Keywords: First responders; Mayfield Emergency Operations Center; Nursing homes; Tornadoes; Volunteers; Mayfield (Ky.)

Partial Transcript: And then, because you had to so quickly--

Segment Synopsis: Davidson says that it is still difficult to think about the night of the disaster. She says initially she didn't think about herself because as a nurse and first responder her main concern was helping others. She says she didn't start to think about what happened until days later. Davidson emphasizes that some people lost far more than she did in the disaster and says that while the community has been hurt by the disaster, they have also been brought closer.

Keywords: First responders; Natural disasters; Nurses; Nursing homes; Severe weather; Tornadoes; Trauma; Mayfield (Ky.)

Partial Transcript: Um, if you--if you know about that process--

Segment Synopsis: Davidson says that the Red Cross along with Samaritan's Purse have been extremely helpful in the recovery effort and that all of the organizations deserve recognition and have been working together to help the recovery. She hopes that Mayfield will clean up debris and rebuild the many historical buildings and homes lost from the disaster, saying she doesn't want people to move away from Mayfield. Davidson says that moving forward, they have instated new measures at the nursing home in the event of another disaster.

Keywords: American Red Cross; Disaster recovery; Historic buildings; Historical buildings; Nursing homes; Rebuilding; Samaritan's Purse; Tornadoes; Mayfield (Ky.)