While nature can be a thing of beauty and wonder, it can just as much be an element of destruction.
On the night from Friday to Saturday, raging storms unleashed absolutely devastating tornadoes across parts of the central and southern US. One of the many locations hit was Mayfield, Kentucky.
Words cannot express the tragedy that has befallen the
town that now mostly lies in shambles. But pictures can certainly try. One
hobbyist photographer captured some breathtaking pictures of how hard the town
was hit, which spoke volumes to many people online.
It’s hard to put a tragedy into words, but pictures have
much more power, and this man pulled it off with his now viral photos
According to CNN, a number of tornadoes were ravaging through several states in the central and southern US. They destroyed a consumer products candle factory in Kentucky, an Amazon warehouse in western Illinois, and a nursing home in Arkansas, affecting many other locations, like Mayfield, Kentucky.
In Kentucky alone, it is reported that more than 70 people could have been killed during these tragic events.
Shawn Triplett, a resident of Mayfield and a hobbyist
photographer with whom Bored Panda got in touch, shared 8 heart-wrenching
pictures of the aftermath in the r/Pics part of Reddit.
His pictures soon found their way onto Reddit where they
struck a chord with many
In Shawn’s photos, you can see just that: buildings leveled, cars mangled, debris and rubble everywhere. One particular picture spoke volumes—a snap in a movie theater, from the perspective of the viewers, an empty cinema with a heartbreaking view of the devastation framed perfectly where the screen used to be.
This and the 7 other pictures resonated greatly with the Reddit community. Within 12 hours, the post already had over 130,000 upvotes, and as of this article, it’s over 155,000. The post also managed to garner over a whopping 1,300 Reddit awards.
“My photo is emotional. To be honest, I cried later on
when I saw it. It stops you in your tracks. It helps people understand how bad
it can be and how well they might have it as a result,” said Shawn about his
photographs.
The post had over 130k upvotes within 12 hours of
posting, and over 155k within a day, getting 1,300 Reddit awards along the way
Shawn’s home was a few miles away from the affected area, and both he and his family are safe. But he’s not sitting idle. Soon after his pictures hit the airwaves, he also launched a tornado relief initiative for the kids of affected families, something positive in an otherwise very horrible situation with Christmas around the corner.
It first started as a post on Reddit, which led to one of several posts on Facebook that led to a full-blown GoFundMe.
He also posted this comment to thank everyone and clarify
some things
“I chose to ra
So far, he has managed to raise $10,000 independently,
but the funding campaign ought to bump it up even more. As of this article,
there’s over $5,000 already raised. This is besides all of the support other
businesses in the community, like Shoe Sensation and Woobies Shoes, haveprovided.
People had nothing but praise for Shawn, bringing in over
3,000 comments to the post
“I was honestly hesitant to share the pictures. If it wasn’t for a friend encouraging me, I never would have done it,” explained Shawn. “I assumed a few people would like them, but the instant support I received is overwhelming. I’m glad everyone can take it all in like I did. My goal was to bring attention to the situation and possibly get a few donations for my toy drive.”
People of Reddit gave some extremely positive feedback, especially on the movie theater picture. Many have said that though Shawn considers himself a mere hobbyist, he ought to give himself more credit as the photos do look very well-made and professional.
Others also commented on how perfectly he encapsulated the severity of the disaster, powerfully enough to draw attention to the issue and possibly move people to act. If anything, he deserves a medal. Or 1,300.
Other internauts also pointed out the surreal aftermath
of the disaster in the country
You can check out the post in full here. And while you’re
at it, why not visit the GoFundMe and earn some karma by donating and bringing
a smile to kids in the Mayfield area. Lastly, let us know your thoughts on all
of this in the comment section below.
Via: Bored Panda / beautyofplanet
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