Kentucky Family Homeless for a Second Time After Tornado Hits Same Property Where Home Was Destroyed in 2021

Charna Flam

28 May 2024 at 9:56 pm·3-min read

“We never thought that it would happen again,” tornado victim Devin Johnson said in regards to his home being destroyed twice in three years

<p>George Walker IV/AP</p> Haley Loukota and Devin Johnson along Barnsley Loop, Ky., on Tuesday, May 28, 2024, — George Walker IV/AP
Haley Loukota and Devin Johnson along Barnsley Loop, Ky., on Tuesday, May 28, 2024,

Devin Johnson has been displaced for a second time after a tornado destroyed his home in Barnsley, Ky., over the Memorial Day weekend, reports the Associated Press and NBC News.

Johnson, 21 and his girlfriend Haley Loukota first became homeless in 2021 after a storm destroyed their home on the same lot of land.

“We never thought that it would happen again,” Johnson told the Associated Press. “All we know for sure is we’re not going back here,” adding, “It’s going to have so many memories of us losing everything.”

Johnson’s previous home was first destroyed during a December 2021 tornado outbreak, which also killed 81 people in Kentucky.

<p>George Walker IV/AP</p> Haley Loukota on Tuesday, May 28, 2024, in Barnsley Loop, Ky. — George Walker IV/AP
Haley Loukota on Tuesday, May 28, 2024, in Barnsley Loop, Ky.

During the December 2021 disaster, the Johnson family remained in their trailer as the storm passed through.

“You start hearing a roar and then the entire house started shaking,” Devin recalled for the Associated Press. “The power started flickering and the windows just shattered. And then all of sudden you just feel the wind and pressure and this roar just ripping through the house and it starts tugging on you and trying to drag you out.”

The family was uninjured and were able to salvage some family mementos. Soon after, they moved into a new trailer and were able to pull together enough funds to furnish the new home. However, following the recent storm, their belongings were tossed around the neighborhood.

The Johnson family was insured both times. On Sunday, they took refuge from the storm at a relative’s home in Madisonville, Ky.

<p>George Walker IV/AP</p> Devin Johnson and Haley Loukota on Tuesday, May 28, 2024, in Barnsley Loop, Ky. — George Walker IV/AP
Devin Johnson and Haley Loukota on Tuesday, May 28, 2024, in Barnsley Loop, Ky.

Although they remained safe from the eye of the storm, the Johnsons “all had that feeling that [they] just lost everything again.” Devin explained when he arrived at his family’s lot, “there was just nothing.”

“This time, everything that we have is gone,” Devin said; however, he noted that they rediscovered his engagement ring that had belonged to his girlfriend’s grandmother.

“Right now we have no money,” Johnson told the Associated Press. “So we’re just trying to figure out how to go next.” He explained that he and Loukota saved money since the 2021 storm in hopes of finding their own home, which he prefers to find in Madisonville. But, he added, now he and Loukota will likely live with his grandparents in the interim.

“It’s just been so tight since then with all the bills we had to go through,” he revealed.

“We know the power that they’re capable of and how easily they can just take your life,” he said, noting he hopes to find a home with a basement to remain safe in future storms.

<p>Greg Eans/The Messenger-Inquirer via AP</p> Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear on Nov. 4, 2023, in Owensboro, Ky. — Greg Eans/The Messenger-Inquirer via AP
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear on Nov. 4, 2023, in Owensboro, Ky.

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The recent storm was one of many severe storms that hit the western Kentucky region over the weekend. On Sunday, May 26, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear declared a state of emergency.

As of Tuesday, May 28, at least 24 people have died as a result of the catastrophic storms, per NBC News.

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