Dresden Tornado: Survivor grateful for ‘God’s Pit Crew,’ new home
Cathy Gallimore (left) is caring for her elderly mother, Fay Bowden. Gallimore’s home was destroyed in the deadly and highly destructive EF-3 tornado that tore through Dresden, Tennessee Dec. 10–11, 2021. She has a new home in that place that was furnished by a nonprofit called God’s Pit Crew. (Photos by Karen Pulfer Focht/The Institute For Public Service Reporting)
David Waters
David Waters is Distinguished Journalist in Residence and assistant director of the Institute for Public Service Reporting at the University of Memphis.
Gallimore was worried that night about her her 21-year-old granddaughter, who was at Gallimore’s house in Dresden, a small town about 120 miles northeast of Memphis near the Kentucky state line.
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Dresden Tornado: A year later, devastated town strives, struggling to recover
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Storms may have killed at least 70 in Ky.
Two deaths were confirmed in Arkansas, and three in northwest Tennessee — two in Lake County and one in Obion County.
Storms leave dozens dead in 5 states, including 4 in West TN
Four Tennesseans are dead, and Gov. Bill Lee calls Weakley County destruction in Dresden “about the saddest thing I’ve ever seen.”
Why is the South prone to Dec. tornadoes?
Spring is typically considered tornado season, but the Southeast experiences a second peak in tornadic activity in the fall and early winter, and winter tornadoes are not uncommon.
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