This Man Drove 30 Minutes To Cook For People Devastated By Tornadoes

An unprecedented tornado system tore through Kentucky on Friday, destroying entire towns and leaving dozens dead and many more missing. Around 30 tornadoes ripped through the Midwest and Southeast, with local Congressman James Comer saying, “It’s the most devastating storm damage I’ve seen in my entire life. We’ve had tornadoes that have been the same length as this tornado but we’ve never had one with the width of this tornado.”

Even amid all the destruction, there are still some bright spots. A video is going viral on Twitter of a man who drove to Mayfield, one of the worst-hit cities, with a grill and food to serve anyone who needed help.

‘It Just Needed To Be Done’

“I know they don’t have no electricity,” Jim Finch, the man in the video, said. “So, I just figured I’d do what I can do…show up with some food and some water.” Many assumed Finch owned a restaurant of his own, but he is simply a Good Samaritan. “It just needed to be done,” he told Victor Ordoñez, an associate producer at ABC.

This man drove half an hour with a grill and a truckload of food and parked right in the middle of #Mayfield, Kentucky. pic.twitter.com/xrVbrMdJ9S
— Victor Ordoñez (@TheOrdonezTimes) December 12, 2021

Finch came prepared with hamburgers, chicken, sausages, and eggs; “Just the little simple stuff you can have and not worry about making a mess…grab-and-go type of food.” Many people on Twitter were quick to praise Finch’s efforts.

“Don’t ever believe that there aren’t wonderful people in this country. Jim Finch is one of them,” one person wrote. Another commented, “This is what a true hero and a real patriot looks like! Thank you! What an awesome human being! ‘It just needed to be done.’”

First Responders Are Still Searching For Survivors

The tornadoes moved through six states, but the devastation is the worst in Kentucky. President Joe Biden has declared a disaster in the state, sending in the National Guard to help with search-and-rescue missions. One of the largest rescue missions is underway at an Amazon candle factory in Mayfield.

The tornado flattened the factory building, where 100 workers were trapped. 40 people have been rescued so far, but 60 still remain missing, with little hope that they survived. Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said that no one has been found alive since Saturday. “There’s at least 15 feet of metal with cars on top of it, barrels of corrosive chemicals that are there. It’ll be a miracle if anybody else is found alive in it,” he continued.

Survivors of the storms are still in shock that they managed to make it through alive. Tony Meeker, a resident of Mayfield, said, “…it felt like our house was about to just be gone, get carried off. It looks like a bomb went off. I don’t know how anybody could’ve lived.” With so much devastation, it’s heartwarming to know people like Jim Finch are out there, doing whatever they can to help.