LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- When a string of tornadoes broke out on the evening of Dec. 10, 2021, the Wooldridge family went to bed thinking a storm might be possible, but not knowing just how close to home it would hit.
Devastation struck their Taylor County home in the early hours of Dec. 11.
Mitchell Wooldridge said he was first alerted by his phone of a tornado warning just before 3 a.m.
"It wasn't raining or anything and you think 'Oh, it's not a big deal,' and then you hear the loud winds," he said in the hours after the storm hit. "I was really starting to crouch down, telling everybody 'Get down, Get down,' and that's when the wall hit me and knocked me down."
Mitchell Wooldridge stands above his destroyed home after the deadly December 2021 tornadoes. He and his family were trapped in their basement until neighbors dug them out.
Mitchell Wooldridge and his family were trapped underneath walls and other debris when their basement collapsed. He said they couldn't get out on their own and waited until neighbors arrived to dig them out.
Afterwards, he said they helped find other neighbors who were also in need of rescue.
In the year since the deadly tornado that hit Taylor County, the Wooldridge family is among those now working to rebuild.
The family moved into their new home four weeks ago. It's built on the same plot of land as their old home and includes more safety features, including a tornado safe room.
"We're here, some sense of normal can come back, a new normal, which is good. We're getting into an actual routine of how things are going to be from here on," said Mitchell Wooldridge.
Courtney Wooldridge said they feel safe in their new home and find peace knowing they have a well-built, tornado-safe room in their basement. Still, even small storms make the mother of three worried about reaching her 4-year-old son and her two older daughters.
"It's kind of hard sometimes. There's still a bit of anxiety that we are working through," she said. "I think it's hearing the wind and being taken back to that night, and then now I think what if I couldn't get to Rowan, what if I couldn't get to the girls?"
The Wooldridge family of 5 smiles as they rebuild their home after a deadly tornado blew threw Taylor County on Dec. 11, 2021.
The Wooldridges said they are continuing to furnish the inside of their home, but have hit pause on smaller-scale tasks in order to help the neighbors who are also rebuilding.
"Some of the neighbors have started moving in," said Mitchell Wooldridge.
"That's so exciting," added Courtney Wooldridge. "Just to know where they're at and be able to feel their excitement."
Courtney and Mitchell both work full-time jobs. Courtney is a teacher and Mitchell works both at UPS and as a plumber. When neither is at work, they do what they can to help others be home in time for the holidays.
"I've been hooking up plumbing all week to get them toilets that flush and get them feeling more like home," Mitchell Wooldridge said. "We told them we've moved in, we're not done and we're not going to say we're done, but we've moved in so our goal is to get you in now."
"We've got the rest of our lives here to do whatever else we need to do here," Courtney Wooldridge said. "I am so excited to get them home and let their kids be home for Christmas."
The couple said their experience with renovating two previous homes has helped them feel more equipped to handle the challenges of starting over from scratch.
"We were do-it-yourselfers before do-it-yourself was cool," joked Mitchell Wooldridge. "In the heat of the summer, we were the ones sweating and pulling the wire and making it work."
According to Taylor County Emergency Management, 70 families were displaced after the storms.
The Wooldridges live on Sanders Road. They say 10 homes were completely destroyed. Out of the families who had to start from scratch, the Wooldridges said nobody received government assistance.
"The public perception is that the government helped us. Nobody in this area got government help," said Mitchell Wooldridge.
According to FEMA, only $176,690 was allocated to Taylor County and the funds were divided among 23 households. Exactly how much each household got is unclear, but, if split equally, that would equate to only $7,682 for each family.
Mitchell Wooldridge said his family, and other families who had to rebuild from scratch, tried to apply for relief funding, but were denied.
The only funding the Wooldridges said they received from a national organization was a $3,000 check from the American Red Cross. They said a GoFundMe page set up by their extended family also helped them purchase new cars.
"You would jump through the hoops and get to the end and go well you don't qualify," Mitchell Wooldridge said.
In some cases, the Wooldridges were told they couldn't be approved for various relief funds because they had home insurance or because their combined household income was too large.
Now, the Wooldridges feel they are stuck. Despite insurance and multiple sources of income, the family is struggling afford the rebuild, which is costing several thousand dollars.
"We're in debt and everybody up and down this street is in debt. Most of us are further in debt than we were before, with worse interest rates because they've gone up," said Mitchell Wooldridge. "We're really sinking into reality of, 'What is the house payment going to be?' And there's still projects to be done and we're back to blue collar workers here."
The couple said they were on track to have their old home paid off and be debt free in 15 years when the tornado hit last year. Now, Mitchell Wooldridge said it will take them over 40 years to get back to where they were financially.
Amidst the growing financial burdens, the family is still relying on their faith and optimism.
Courtney Wooldridge said she's looking forward to "filling this house with memories" and wants it to be a hub for their entire family for gatherings in the years to come.
Mitchell Wooldridge said his family is working on being comfortable as they transition into their new life on a new foundation.
He said his hope is that, someday soon, "the wind can blow outside and we're going to get back to where that doesn't bother us."
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