As they followed the tornado’s path home, the devastation in their neighborhood was overwhelming—most homes were destroyed. When they reached their property, they were heartbroken. Their house had been lifted and twisted before crashing back onto the foundation, leaving it unsafe to live in. Their shop, where they stored all of their business tools, was gone. A 6,500-gallon tank had been hurled into the woods and wedged between trees, where it remains to this day.

While devastating, this was not the most pressing concern for the Lemays at that time. Their son was on a ventilator, fighting for his life. He had a three-year-old son, and his wife was seven months pregnant. After taking photos of the damage and boarding up their house, they rushed to Georgia to be with their family.Thankfully, their son survived. The Lemays soon returned home to face the destruction and immense challenges left by the tornado. Without electricity in the area, they struggled to find a place to live. They also discovered their house was drastically underinsured because incorrect square footage was listed on their policy. To add to their difficulties, Tolanda became seriously ill with food poisoning.

Fortunately, Tolanda recovered, and the state provided temporary housing at Lake Barkley, where the Lemays were given meals and access to laundry facilities. Local churches and organizations also stepped in, offering food and water to the community.

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While cleaning up their property one day, an electric company employee mentioned that some insurance policies cover setting up a camper and electrical pole on survivors’ properties. Grateful for this information, the Lemays secured a camper and lived in it on their property for six months.  “Being on our property was important to get our business back up and running,” shared the Lemays. This arrangement not only allowed them to restart their business, but it also helped deter looters. The Lemays commented, “The local police department was excellent any time we had to call about possible looting.”

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Throughout this ordeal, the Lemays received support from various sources. Churches provided financial aid, and Samaritan’s Purse helped with cleanup. They stated, “Swallowing our pride and receiving help and financial assistance was a challenge for us.  We aren’t used to receiving handouts. We were told immediately that these were not handouts; they were blessings.”

Though accepting help was difficult, they came to view these gestures as blessings. The Lemays remarked, “It seemed to draw people closer together. Neighbors helped neighbors. Even as we received help, we continued to help others.” 

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While they were grateful for much of the assistance they received, they were discouraged by the lack of support from some disaster-recovery organizations. They were often misdirected and left feeling frustrated. The Lemays commented, “We were led in so many directions and never knew exactly who to talk to. We finally gave up.” 

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Ervin admitted that the situation had left him feeling angry and depressed at times. “I felt like I couldn’t provide for my family, but when I finally gave it all over to God, I started seeing things change.” When asked how they got connected with the Mayfield Graves Long Term Recovery Group (LTRG), they laughed and said, “We’re not sure. We went to Coles Lumber Co., and they gave our number to a pastor, who gave our number to someone else, and so on. We were used to hearing ‘no’, so we weren’t even sure we wanted to waste our time trying to contact LTRG.” 

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They eventually reached out to request disaster assistance from the Mayfield Graves LTRG. One day while they were hanging sheetrock in their house, they got a call from Bo, a Case Manager with the Tennessee-Western Kentucky United Methodist Church (TWKUMC), a case management partner of the Mayfield Graves LTRG. When Bo called them, the Lemays were initially hesitant. But Bo’s words gave them hope: “I think we can help you.” 

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From that point on, the Lemays felt a renewed sense of hope. “The Lord promised not to leave us or forsake us. He sent us Bo. Bo was the turning point for us–the point that gave us hope. If we had not gotten help through the LTRG, we would not be in our house today. LTRG was the best! God sent us the right people at the right time. Brother Mike Baker was also a huge blessing. When he walked in, you could feel God’s presence,” they shared.