Devin Johnson was displaced for a second time after a tornado destroyed his home in Barnsley, Ky., over the Memorial Day weekend, the Associated Press and NBC News reported.
Johnson, 21, and his girlfriend, Haley Loukota, became homeless for the first time in 2021 after a storm destroyed their home on the same lot.
“We never thought it would happen again,” Johnson told The Associated Press. “All we know for sure is that we’re not coming back here,” adding, “They’re going to have so many memories of how we lost everything.”
Johnson’s previous home was first destroyed during the December 2021 tornado outbreak, which also killed 81 people in Kentucky.
Haley Loukota on Tuesday, May 28, 2024, in Barnsley Loop, Ky.
George Walker IV/AP
During the December 2021 disaster, the Johnson family stayed in their trailer as the storm passed.
“You start hearing a roar and then the whole house starts shaking,” Devin recalled to The Associated Press. “The electricity started flickering and the windows just shattered. And then all of a sudden you just feel the wind and the pressure and that roar that just rips the house apart and starts pulling you and trying to get you out.”
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The family was unharmed and managed to save some family memories. Soon after, they moved into a new trailer and managed to raise enough funds to furnish their new home. However, after a recent storm, their belongings were scattered around the neighborhood.
The Johnson family was insured both times. On Sunday, they took shelter from the storm at a relative’s house in Madisonville, Ky.
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Devin Johnson and Haley Loukota on Tuesday, May 28, 2024, in Barnsley Loop, Ky.
George Walker IV/AP
Although they stayed safe from the eye of the storm, the Johnsons “all had that feeling [they] I just lost everything again.” Devin explained that when he arrived at the family property, “there was nothing.”
“This time, everything we have is gone,” Devin said; however, he noted that they rediscovered his engagement ring that belonged to his girlfriend’s grandmother.
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“We don’t have any money right now,” Johnson told The Associated Press. “So we’re just trying to figure out how to move forward.” He explained that he and Loukota have been saving up for 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 probably live with his grandparents in the meantime.
“Since then it’s been so tight with all the bills we’ve had to go through,” he revealed.
“We know the power they’re capable of and how easily they can take your life,” he said, noting he hopes to find a home with a basement to stay safe in future storms.
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Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear on November 4, 2023 in Owensboro, Ky.
Greg Eans/The Messenger-Inquirer via AP
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The recent storm was one of many severe storms to hit the western Kentucky region over the weekend. On Sunday, May 26, Kentucky Governor 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, NBC News reports.
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