Kentucky tornado victim is overjoyed after reuniting with her lost dog

Our hearts continue go out to the many victims of the catastrophic tornadoes that stuck the southern United States earlier this month.

At least 90 people have died due to the destruction, making it the deadliest December tornado storm on record in the US, and countless others have suffered from property damage.

Now, in the wake of this disaster, survivors are starting to pick up the pieces, and look for signs of hope as they recover. For one woman, the silver lining was reuniting with her lost dog among the wreckage.

MAYFIELD, KY – DECEMBER 11: Heavy damage is seen downtown after a tornado swept through the area on December 11, 2021 in Mayfield, Kentucky. Multiple tornadoes tore through parts of the lower Midwest late on Friday night leaving a large path of destruction and unknown fatalities. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)

Lucas Waagmeester, a journalist for the Dutch broadcaster NOS, visited the Mayfield, Kentucky, one of the most badly-affected areas of the tornado outbreak.

Video shows a grim scene of wrecked houses and downed power lines. Victims huddle outside and boil water on an outdoor stove.

But one resident approaches the journalist, and asks if he has seen her dog. Her pet Nola disappeared after her home was slammed by the tornado.

“Friday night, when all this happened, we were in the house and we lost her,” the woman recalls. “The power went out, the house started shaking, we were lifted up… that’s when we lost the dog.”

She says the tornado was so strong that it moved her house 20 feet. She recalls suddenly being surrounded by “gas lines and power lines.”

But suddenly, things turned around for the woman. Waagmeester spots a dog in the field and points it out, and the woman immediately recognizes it as Nola.

She runs towards her, and the two joyfully reunite.