MAYFIELD, Ky. — In a sea full of devastation, it may be hard to separate the hopeless from the hopeful. But then there's Deanna Badillo, who says she doesn't give up.
Despite standing next to what used to be her home, now reduced to a pile of wreckage, her spirit was still intact.
"My friend and I both said we've cheated death. I think it's because of God's grace and I'm not done on this planet," said Badillo.
She and her friend had seconds to spare when the tornado ravaged their home on North 6 Street in Mayfield, Kentucky.
Badillo recalled how they got into the hallway when the tornado struck, calling it an out of body experience.
"I didn't see anything... but what I felt I can't explain that to you. I can't explain what it feels like to stand here and tell you what I went through."
She showed the hole that she was able to crawl out of, narrowly escaping death -- something not everyone in her community was able to avoid. Just two streets down, a 4-year-old boy died after being trapped in the rubble.
But despite the tragedy and the devastation left behind by the tornadoes, survivors are beginning to clean up and make plans to rebuild. Volunteers trying to help the families who have lost most, if not all.
Lorie Delapp, a Graves County resident, was among those volunteering. She got emotional when thinking about those who have been through so much and lost so much.
"There's people that lost everything, lost family, people that haven't been found yet. We're so blessed and I hate for those families and I'm praying for them." said Delapp.
But for Deanna Badillo, not everything is gone.
She thought one of her dogs died from the storm, until a neighbor found it.
"It's the little things that matter--that little dog every bit of her matters."
The neighbor said he found the dog and kept her warm and fed at his home until he found the owners.
Needless to say it was a sliver of good news in the midst of all the tragedy.
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