Marshall County residents still encouraged to use tornado hotline 

Marshall County residents who previously needed tornado assistance are still encouraged to use the county's tornado hotline.

In an update on Thursday, Judge-executive Kevin Neal and his leadership team stressed the importance of contacting them through the hotline at 270-527-8657. 

Public Affairs Officer Brittany Hargrove said through the hotline they have spoken to close to 400 residents in Marshall County, and are now starting to go back through and make follow-up calls. She said they are doing this to update the status of where residents are currently living and what needs may have come up since the tornado. 

Neal also encouraged residents to call the hotline. He said that it helps the county be able to touch base with the residents, so they can hear exactly what the issues are and get them in the right place for available resources. 

Neal shared the story of one family who lost everything andwas living in a shed. They did not qualify for FEMA, but did qualify for SBA assistance, who acquired a container home through other available resources. 

Neal urges residents to go through the FEMA and SBA process and wants them to know if they are denied, not to worry that there are still other resources available. 

He said we are a prideful community, but we all need some assistance and help, and seeing your neighbor going through this process and getting some help might get the next person to do it. 

Both deadlines for FEMA and SBA are just around the corner, with SBA coming first on Feb. 10 and FEMA a day later on Feb. 11. 

Neal gave an update on debris removal. He said they had about 500,000 cubic yards of debris in Marshall County and at the last update had removed 279,000 cubic yards.