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Release time: 13/12/2021-08:18 Modification time: 13/12/2021-08:16

Mayfield (United States) (AFP)-In Mayfield, an American town that was razed to the ground by a weekend tornado, locals said that they were driven by the Christian faith to clean up rubble, collect supplies, and bring their church to the ground. Become a shelter, providing shelter for those who are homeless due to one of these reasons. The most destructive storm in American history erupted.

The small town in southern Kentucky is part of the "Bible Belt", an area in the southern United States where life is centered on churches.

On Sunday, residents mentioned that their faith is the driving force for progress and helped each other clean up the mess.

Vanessa Cooper, 40, is trying to save everything she can from her mother's apartment, which has only two walls left.

Nearby, three friends cleaned up the twisted debris, while Cooper rummaged through the damaged furniture.

"Some people from my church came to help...it means a lot to me," she said, adding that she couldn't do it alone.

"I don't know what the future will bring, but God has allowed me to experience a lot of life."

Cooper said that small communities will naturally unite because neighbors ask her if she needs anything.

Cooper, who works at a local technical high school, said Mayfield is a small town with a population of 10,000 and “has been very close”. "We expressed a lot of love for each other."

Marty Janes sat in the chair to the left of his house, staring dumbfounded at the volunteers working beside him.

Not far from downtown Mayfield, his community was destroyed by a tornado. A tree fell on his front porch, his roof collapsed, and the outer front wall was torn off.

"I was destroyed, it was unbelievable," Janes said.

He was trapped in the back of the house, while his wife Teresa was in the bedroom because their ceiling collapsed.

After the firefighters rescued the couple, the couple separated for two days. While Teresa was hospitalized, Janice said in tears.

He didn't want his wife to see that their house was damaged and it was now uninhabitable.

"I have nothing," the 59-year-old said. He only found an old photo of his college graduation and two American flags, which he placed in front of the destroyed house.

Friends came to help him clean up, but the task was arduous. Young volunteers from the church also came to the rescue, cutting the inner walls and partitions with a saw, and cleaning the unusable furniture and equipment in the room.

Others cut down and removed the tree lying on the house.

Facing many people who are now homeless, some places of worship are now serving as shelters.

In Paducah, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) north of Mayfield, Pastor Hank Garner opened his Lone Oak Baptist Church to house those in need and serve as a collection point for donations.

The pastor told AFP: "People are just beginning to gather everything they think we need," because Mayfield's water and electricity are still interrupted.

Donations include warm clothing, blankets, baby supplies, bottled water and food.

Randy Guennel said that finding a shelter in the church was a miracle.

The 79-year-old retiree and his sick wife survived at home for two days.

On Sunday, he wrote "Help needed" on a pizza box and put it in his mailbox.

"Some great people in this church stopped. They brought us here," he told AFP, choking and sobbing.

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