Interview with Tanna Thompson, July 30, 2022

Partial Transcript: Today's date is July thirtieth, 2022.

Segment Synopsis: Tanna Thompson introduces herself as a longtime resident of Graves County in Kentucky. She discusses her childhood and talks about how she grew up in a rural, farming community located between Mayfield and Paducah. She describes some of the activities around her neighborhood from when she was young that she would participate in.

Keywords: Childhood; Farmers; Farms; Kentucky; Mayfield (Ky.); Natural disasters; Neighborhoods; Paducah (Ky.); Rural; Storms; Tornadoes; Graves County (Ky.)

Partial Transcript: And then you talked about always living pretty close to family.

Segment Synopsis: Thompson talks about her extended family connections around Graves County, and the history that her family tree shares with the area. She describes some of the buildings and other locations around Graves County that her relatives either own or used to own.

Keywords: Family history; Family trees; Farmers; Farms; Graves County; Houses; Kentucky; Stores; Mayfield

Partial Transcript: Can you tell me about any, um--well, well since you talked about growing, uh, growing up on the farm, when you moved to Mayfield, um, and purchased a house--

Segment Synopsis: Thompson explains how her family moved to the city of Mayfield after she purchased an old house that belonged to her great aunt. She describes what it was like to make the transition from rural to urban life, as well as how her daughters responded to the change.

Keywords: Cities; Farms; Graves County; Houses; Housing; Kentucky; Mayfield; Rural; Trailers; Urban

Partial Transcript: Thinking about, um, the storms that came through Mayfield and the tornadoes of December tenth, 2021, could you just start at the beginning of that day and kind of walk me through your memories of that day?

Segment Synopsis: Thompson describes where she and her family were on the day of the tornado that swept through Mayfield, with she and her husband attending a party at the office she works at, and her youngest daughter staying at home with their new pet. She says that due to previous experiences with false tornado warnings, she underestimated the initial weather reports and wasn't phased by them.

Keywords: Forecasts; Graves County; Kentucky; Mayfield; Murray; Natural disasters; Storms; Tornadoes; Warnings; Weather

Partial Transcript: And uh, so my husband and I went to the Christmas party.

Segment Synopsis: Thompson explains that she and her husband quickly returned to their home after learning about the trajectory of the tornado and becoming concerned for the safety of their daughter. She says that her family took shelter in their basement cellar, and describes the experience of the tornado passing directly over their house.

Keywords: Basements; Cellars; Forecasts; Graves County; Houses; Kentucky; Murray; Natural disasters; Severe weather warnings; Shelters; Storms; Tornado warnings; Tornadoes; Weather; Mayfield

Partial Transcript: My husband and my dad went up the stairs first to get out, and the door to our basement opened into the stairwell.

Segment Synopsis: Thompson describes the damage that was dealt to her family's house and vehicles by the tornado. She says that her family was forced to navigate their destroyed neighborhood as they evacuated, until they were eventually found and transported to safety by her brother-in-law.

Keywords: Basements; Cellars; Evacuations; Graves County; Houses; Kentucky; Mayfield; Natural disasters; Property damage; Shelters; Storms; Weather damage; Tornadoes

Partial Transcript: Okay, and then, so once you got to--it was your, your brother's house?

Segment Synopsis: Thompson talks about the day after the tornado, in which she returned to her house to salvage for supplies and personal belongings. She describes the salvaging process, explaining how some items were too important to leave unsupervised and were to be collected immediately, while some were too dangerous to salvage due to the risk of concealing glass shards.

Keywords: Graves County; Houses; Kentucky; Mayfield; Natural disasters; Property damage; Salvage; Storms; Weather damage; Tornadoes

Partial Transcript: And then moving forward, so then kind of thinking beyond, you know, that initial [indecipherable] salvage, um, I'm still in survival mode.

Segment Synopsis: Thompson describes the period after the tornado in which her family was displaced and forced to find another permanent residence. She says that her cousins at the time owned a few vacant properties, which they offered her family to live in as they searched for a new house.

Keywords: Destruction; Displacement; Graves County; Houses; Housing; Kentucky; Mayfield; Natural disasters; Storms; Tornadoes

Partial Transcript: Did you have insurance on the house that you had purchased in Mayfield?

Segment Synopsis: Thompson explains how it was financially easier for her family to find a new house rather than pay for the reconstruction of their old house. She says that they eventually were able to find and settle into a new house, and that the money they received from the property insurance on their old house was able to help them afford it.

Keywords: Disaster insurance; Graves County; Home insurance; Houses; Housing; Insurance; Kentucky; Natural disasters; Property damage; Property insurance; Storms; Tornadoes; Weather damage; Mayfield

Partial Transcript: And then, um, you mentioned the help that you've received along the way from area churches.

Segment Synopsis: Thompson explains how since the tornado, her family has received generous donations from relatives, friends, neighbors, churches, etc., with the outpour of support helping her family move comfortably into their new home and recover financially.

Keywords: Charity; Churches; Disaster relief; Donations; Graves County; Kentucky; Natural disasters; Nonprofits; Storms; Tornadoes; Transportation; Mayfield

Partial Transcript: And then, you might have spoken to this a little bit, but if you don't mind talking a little bit more about how--

Segment Synopsis: Thompson explains how she had a strong sentimental attachment towards her old house, and that she still misses it despite being grateful for everything her family has worked towards. She says that she plans to sell the lot of the house to her cousins, who are planning to build their own house where it once stood.

Keywords: Destruction; Displacement; Graves County (Ky.); Houses; Kentucky; Land lots; Lots; Natural disasters; Storms; Tornadoes; Mayfield (Ky.)

Partial Transcript: Um, if you can kind of think about the people who are part of your community.

Segment Synopsis: Thompson talks about the impact that the tornado has had on Mayfield's community and other communities around Graves County, with many residents losing their homes. She says that public schools are likely to be affected by the amount of students moving away, and that her own daughter is now being homeschooled because of the trauma she experienced from the tornado.

Keywords: Displacement; Graves County; Homeschooling; Houses; Housing; Kentucky; Natural disasters; Public schools; Schools; Storms; Tornadoes; Mayfield (Ky.)

Partial Transcript: This is sort of a two-part question, so you can answer it how you'd like.

Segment Synopsis: Thompson describes some of the trends that have been going on with rental houses in Mayfield, and how they could affect the community both positively and negatively. She says that she hopes housing will become more affordable and accessible for families in the future, and that it will hopefully bring former residents back to the community.

Keywords: Communities; Displacement; Graves County; Homeowners; Houses; Housing; Kentucky; Lots; Mayfield; Natural disasters; Rent; Rentals; Renters; Storms; Tornadoes