WEST LIBERTY, Ky. — It has been a year since tornadoes ripped through many areas of Kentucky, leaving behind destruction beyond belief. Statewide, 25 people lost their lives and more than 4,500 homes were affected.

Morgan County and West Liberty were especially hard-hit, leaving Main Street leveled and many homes and farms in this remote eastern Kentucky region destroyed. Sarah Fannin, a resident and the county extension agent, said farmers in the area suffered great losses.

“Our city was just hit so hard, but this was a 90-mile path across our entire county and the impact on our rural economy here was just as devastating in terms of lost farm income,” she said.

The tornado was reported to be an EF3 and left six people in the county dead. But restoration efforts are helping the area recover.

Recently, Gov. Steve Beshear and U.S. Rep. Harold “Hal” Rogers (R-Ky.) announced a unique funding effort to help. The nearly $30 million initiative “sets to rebuild much of the damage in Morgan County by utilizing several different funding sources from the federal, state, local and private sectors,” according to information from Rogers’ office.

“The destruction I witnessed in Morgan County last spring was unlike anything I have ever seen. I can tell you that Kentucky’s heart was broken by what our fellow citizens experienced,” said Beshear. “Immediately, we joined forces with our local and federal partners and, together, we began to restore services and rebuild West Liberty and Morgan County.

“But what will really make West Liberty and Morgan County feel like home again is reconstructing those key places that mark a hometown, like the courthouse. When complete, these projects will serve as symbols to citizens of better things to come.”

Rogers said the multimillion dollar project represents hope for the future of Morgan County and applauds the resiliency of Kentuckians.

“Organizations from across the Commonwealth and people of all ages, Boy Scouts and Disabled American Veterans alike, have been a part of the recovery process in West Liberty, volunteering time, food and various resources to get this community back on its feet,” he said. “Together, we join in celebration for the progress of Morgan County and look forward to revisiting the new, improved West Liberty very soon.”

A portion of this funding will go toward rebuilding the county extension office, which was also destroyed. Morgan County’s main agriculture industry consists of smaller operations; beef cattle farms, forage operations, timber production and some crop production. “Still, it is very important to the economy here,” said Fannin. “Farming is a major contributor to household income in Morgan County.”

She said the storm delayed last year’s planting of tobacco and vegetables and caused major damage to farm fencing, with scattered debris over much of the pastureland. The timber industry was also devastated, with many complete stands wiped out, she said.

In Kentucky the wood industry represents more than $4.5 billion in revenue, according to the state’s Division of Forestry. Any destruction to it can mean a blow to local rural economies where much of the industry is centered.

Fannin estimated 30-40 percent of the farms in Morgan County were affected in some way by last spring’s storms.

“We certainly had delayed planting and some farms; folks just had to walk away because they had to put back a home for their families first and foremost, and some of those farmers will never return and some of that woodland will never be functional in our lifetime,” she said.

But for those staying on the farm, Fannin said it has been amazing how they have recovered.

“The initial help we got from other farmers and farm commodity groups, it was just unbelievable how much aid we were able to get in the beginning and it has continued and helped us build and get back on our feet.”

While many organizations helped, she said fellow farmers beyond county lines who showed up to help also have been instrumental in the recovery process.

“It was such an encouragement and those folks knew what to do. They could just hit the ground running,” she said. “That was such a big help.”

While the farm landscape still looks “battered and bruised,” Fannin said new outbuildings, barns, fences and homes are like the flowers in spring popping up. “Even more so than the infrastructure that’s coming back, is the sense of community. We never lost that, but it has just gotten stronger and in the farming world, as well,” she said.

She said seeing farmers come to the aid of their neighbors even though they had suffered losses, too, reaffirmed in her the sense of community the farm world possesses and what makes it unique.

“Hope springs eternal; we’re farmers, and we are planting hope,” she added.