‘She really needs all the help she can get.’ Fundraisers available for KY storm victims
There are several ways to help victims of a violent tornado that swept through Washington County last week, killing one person.
A GoFundMe page has been created for Tonya Orberson, the fiancée of Ronnie Hill, who was killed in the storm.
Orberson’s daughter, Melanie Thompson, created the online fundraiser, saying her mother lost everything, including her house, barn and vehicles.
As of 2 p.m. Monday, the page had raised over $2,000, with the goal of collecting $5,000.
“We are normally not the family that asks for anything but she really needs all the help she can get,” Thompson said. “Any donation is appreciated.”
Gov. Andy Beshear also encouraged people to donate to the Team Kentucky Storm Relief Fund, which prioritizes covering funeral expenses, and then pays additional expenses. Beshear said every dollar given to the fund goes directly to the victims.
The tornado touched down around 7 a.m. and destroyed two houses along Long Run Road. Beshear and local officials said they weren’t expecting that level of severe weather, and there wasn’t a tornado siren in the rural area that was hit the hardest.
The tornado quickly intensified into EF-2 strength shortly after making contact with the ground and first destroyed a home near Coyle Lane that had 11 people inside, including 10 children. The National Weather Service said the occupants were thrown into a valley with their shredded home when the tornado hit, but all occupants survived.
Mahlon Girod, pastor of Bethel Christian Fellowship, the family’s Washington County church, told the Herald-Leader another nearby family has an extra house and is providing a place to stay for the now-homeless family.
After hitting the Coyle Lane home, the tornado crossed Long Run Road and hit the home occupied by Orberson and Hill. The NWS said debris was thrown about 75 yards directly to the north of the tornado’s path.
Orberson’s daughter, Lashanna Gibson, told the Herald-Leader Hill did everything he could to save his fiance.
Hill was a contractor for Jack Coleman, a former state lawmaker. The two worked to build a 50-bed residential addiction treatment center in Danville, and Coleman said Hill would do anything.
“He was wonderful. He had just come out of recovery. He had a powerful testimony. He gave people hope that they could be successful in recovery, too,” Coleman previously said. “He was really a goodhearted fellow. He wanted to help people.”
The tornado weakened to an EF-1 tornado after damaging the houses, but it still snapped several trees and partially collapsed a barn. NWS storm damage surveyors estimated the tornado reached maximum wind speeds of 125 mph, had a maximum width of 450 yards and traveled 5.6 miles.
