By 270 Stories staff
BENTON, Ky. – When Carl Bivin built his ranch house in western Marshall County 42 years ago, the slope of the land helped him to decide to add a basement.
A basement that his family never needed as a storm shelter until the night of Dec. 10, 2021. Seventeen of his family members crowded into the basement as the warnings of a fast-moving tornado flashed across the television screen.
“The tornado path was coming out of here from Mayfield,” Bivin recalled. “I have two brothers, a brother and a sister and a brother-in-law who live in trailers over on the hill. They came up and we all got into the basement. It was 20 seconds. That’s all it was.”
Bivin heard a pop. The tornado tore off the roof. When he walked outside and looked up, he saw stars.
“The good Lord told me when I went out the back door that you can replace all this stuff, but you can’t replace the 18 people who were in it.”
That next morning, he started to pick up the pieces. The family looked through the remains of the house to determine the extent of the damage. Bivin said they decided to rebuild rather than repair.
The sounds of rebuilding can be heard around his neighborhood on Bondurant Lane.
Beeps as heavy machinery clears the land from where the tornado felled trees and mangled the landscape.
Drills as workers erect new walls on houses nearby.
So far, though, all Bivin has completed is pouring a new basement footer.
Like many other tornado victims, he’s waiting for contractors to become available. Until then, the family is living in a rental.
While some tornado victims may have chosen to have relocated, that wasn’t an option for Bivin. This land means more to him. It’s where he was born and where he raised his children. And where he retired after 36 years as an electrician in the Tennessee Valley Authority.
“I’m sure it’s going to be another year at least for the construction,” Bivin said.
He’s planning on building the same house as he did 42 years ago – a single-story vinyl sided ranch home. Three bedrooms, two bathrooms with a finished basement.
“It was a comfortable living home,” he said. “We were retired and ready to kick back and still are when we get that opportunity.”
While Bivin has received some insurance payment, the cost of rebuilding has outpaced his replacement cost. He said he is looking into loans, such as one from the Small Business Administration, plus savings to make up the difference. He’s also contacted the Marshall County Long Term Recovery Group.
Bivin is ready to return to the farmland that’s been in his family since 1957 when his parents bought it. They farmed corn and soybeans as well as cattle and hogs.
“So I grew up tending to them,” he said. “And then the gardens to feed six kids. So, yeah, it was rewarding. It’s been a good life.”
