BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (LEX 18) — Today marks three years since a deadly tornado outbreak in the late night hours across Western Kentucky, producing severe to catastrophic damage in several towns including Mayfield, Princeton, Bremen and Dawson Springs.
There was major damage in Bowling Green, as well, and that's where Mickie Drew owns a seamstress shop. She was about a mile away when the tornado hit.
Drew's shop, in business for well over 50 years, is a Bowling Green fixture. The number one option for Western Kentucky Football as the Hilltoppers' official seamstress, the shop took a major hit three years ago.
"We never thought we were going to be in that position that weekend," Drew said.
Early morning of Dec. 11, 2021, an EF3 tornado ripped through Bowling Green, blowing the roof off Mickie's Alterations.
"All the people's clothes were still intact, even the roof was gone, but they were still hanging around, and I had to clean some of them," Drew noted.
The storm tore up the sign to Mickie's shop, and ironically, one of Mickie's former employees recovered part of it a few miles from the shop and posted a picture of it on Facebook.
"I was shocked," Drew said.
Up close and in shock, Leon Baity watched about 100 feet away through the window from his front porch as Mickie's Alterations was destroyed.
"I looked down that way a little bit. I just couldn't see the end of it, but I didn't dally too long because I wanted to get inside," Baity said.
The tornado flattened Baity's home to the point where he had to rebuild.
As for Mickie, she credits her son for helping her rebuild eight months after the storm.
"I was blessed," Drew said.
17 people died in Warren County due to the tornado, and hundreds of homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed.
