Campus News

A Community That Cares: UK Continues Support for Western Kentucky Tornado Victims

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LEXINGTON, Ky. (Jan. 7, 2021) — In December 2021, tornadoes unleashed destruction throughout Kentucky. Lives were lost. Homes were destroyed. Businesses were demolished and forced to close. 

But in the aftermath of this record-breaking tornado outbreak, Kentuckians stepped up in extraordinary ways to help their neighbors, whether they knew them or not.  

Many University of Kentucky faculty, staff, students and alumni are part of the tornado recovery efforts taking place throughout the state –– demonstrating how we are a community that steps up to meet the moment and care for each other, even in the most challenging circumstances.  

Last month, we shared several stories about how the UK family is supporting those impacted by the storms:

These are just a few examples of how the UK community stepped up during the immediate aftermath of the storms. But this work is far from over. The damage will take months, if not years, to recover from.

This spring, UKNow will continue sharing some of the many stories of how the UK family is helping their fellow Kentuckians as they work to rebuild their communities — and ways you can continue to help.

If you know of a UK family member helping Kentucky tornado victims, please share that information here.  

The university also continues to support students and employees directly impacted by the tragic storms. UK students facing financial challenges because of the storm damage should complete the UK Center for Support and Intervention (CSI) referral form to be connected with a Student Success team member who can talk through available crisis-related financial resources and other basic needs support. Please check the box for "Acute financial need related to December 11th storm damage" and in the open box, please describe your financial needs as it relates to the storm. For help completing this form or other questions related to this process, call 859-218-SAFE.

As a reminder, the Counseling Center (www.uky.edu/counselingcenter) is available to help support you during this time; after hours and weekend phone consultation is available by dialing 859-257-8701 and pressing '1' at the prompt.

For more general questions, calls can be directed to UK Health Corps at 859-218-SAFE.  

As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.   

In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.