First responders reflect on Louisville tornado decade later
10 years later, community members gathered in the center of downtown to honor those on the front lines.
LOUISVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – When disaster strikes, we look for refuge, but what about the first responders in the community who are also dealing with tragedy?
They see it, feel it, and then they return to helping those who are suffering.
Those on the front lines in Louisville saw their homes and their town in ruins and had to grieve 10 lives lost.
10 years later, community members gathered in the center of downtown to honor those on the front lines.
Chief Robert Hutto with the Louisville Fire Department says this has been a somber week reflecting on that tragic day.
“I was actually off duty that day, and I was standing on my front porch and I watched the storm come over the south side of town,” Hutto said. “Immediately, everything changes, everything stops, and it’s like, ‘okay what next?'”
Chris Young was a firefighter on shift April 28, 2014.
He says a lot was going through his mind.
He was concerned about his family’s safety at home and the safety of the community.
Young says it’s hard to see the way the tornado left many citizens with a lingering fear.
“The city has a safe room now,” Young said. “It’s kind of disheartening to see but sometimes we open the safe room, we have some there when the doors open because they are terrified they are going to get hit again.”
Young says the tragedy taught firefighters and other responders a lot of lessons about redundancy, response, communication, coordination, shelter, and more…and there will be more to come.
“There’s been a lot of changes, and there will be more changes,” Young said. “Every time we have an incident, whether it be an ice storm or severe weather, we learn from it and try to grow, and try to make sure we don’t make the same mistakes again.”
Hutto says the memory has changed his and other first responders’ perspective on a lot of things.
“You’ve got to mourn, but in that moment, we still had to do our job,” Hutto said. “We still had to respond and do the best we could.”
As the responders who were on the front lines a decade ago look back at what the city has accomplished and lay a wreath in honor of moving forward, it’s a reminder that in a disaster, jurisdictional boundaries go out the window, everyone works together and gives it their all.
“Going forward, we want to keep that togetherness as all these agencies come together because you never know what we’re going to have to handle next,” Hutto said.
On Sunday, April 26, the city will ring church bells and blow air horns throughout the city 10 times to honor those who lost their lives ten years ago.
