LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A Kentucky air-evac crew christened a brand new helicopter with a very fitting name about a month after their previous one was destroyed in a tornado.
The Air-Evac Lifeteam 179 crew's hangar was left a mess of mangled metal when it was hit by an EF4 tornado at the London-Corbin Airport last month.
The crew didn't have a helicopter for several weeks after, and relied on neighboring crews to answer medical calls.
"The AEL 179 team has not missed a beat, immediately utilizing our extensive network of resources from nearby bases," Letch Day, Air Evac program manager, said in a June 13 Facebook post. "However, everyone is excited to get back to serving patients with our own aircraft back in service."
They now have a new helicopter, which they have given the nickname Dorothy after the character who got swept up in a tornado in "The Wizard of Oz."
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"I feel so grateful and thankful that I get to do this, and that I have the crew members that I do," one crewmember said. "I always say change can be good, and that's what we're all making — a good change."
Since getting the new helicopter last week, the crew has already used it to respond to six calls in its coverage area — London, Laurel County and the surrounding communities.
The EF4 tornado that destroyed the crew's previous helicopter tore through Kentucky May 16-17 with 170 mph winds, leveling towns and devastating communities. Twenty people were killed and several others were injured.
The NWS office in Jackson, Kentucky, confirmed through a multi-day survey the tornado was 1,700 yards wide at its peak — nearly 1 mile — and was on the ground for more than 55 miles from Somerset to London.
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