MCEWEN, Tenn. (WTVF) — The small community of McEwen came together Friday night at Hurricane Free Will Baptist Church for a vigil following a devastating plant explosion that has left families and friends grieving.
The vigil filled church pews with prayers as the tight-knit community processed the tragedy that occurred Friday, October 10.
"These families again, their kids would play ball together, go to school together," said the pastor during the service.
Community member Janie Brown, who knows several families affected by the explosion, described the close bonds in McEwen.
"You know everybody, everybody knows everybody," Brown said.
Brown works with one woman whose son was involved in the explosion and knows another family member who was also affected. Her own granddaughter's mother works at the facility, though not in the building that exploded.
"Well I worked with one of the ladies, her son was involved. And another one, her son was involved," Brown said. "And my granddaughter, her mother works there, but she don't work in the building that blew up."
Brown said the reality of what happened hasn't fully set in yet for many in the community.
"If it's just listening to them or just holding their hand, that's all I can do," Brown said.
Senior Pastor Tim Farris spoke with reporters after the vigil, emphasizing how deeply loved these families are and how the church continues caring for them. The tragedy is particularly difficult for a community still healing from devastating flooding in 2021 that killed more than 20 people.
"Some of these families have been, they have been through this with the flooding and then turn around and they're dealing with this again," Farris said.
In these darkest moments, Farris said families and friends are leaning on each other for support.
"They need our presence. They need to be comforted and know that they're not alone in this," Farris said.
School district responds with support services
Humphreys County Schools released a statement acknowledging the tragedy's impact on their school community. The district confirmed that among those unaccounted for are Humphreys County graduates, as well as family members of students and staff.
"As a community, we are heartbroken by the devastating plant explosion that occurred on Friday, October 10. Our hearts are with every person and family touched by this tragedy," said Dr. Robert Lanham, Director of Schools.
Beginning Monday, schools will provide support services including school counselors, Social and Emotional Learning liaisons, and Centerstone therapists on-site to help students and staff process their emotions.
The district also highlighted the resilience of local students, noting how both high schools responded to help families affected by the tragedy. Waverly Central High School donated proceeds from their game gate to support impacted families, while McEwen High School held their event free of charge and encouraged donations for relief efforts.
"We are raising the strongest generation of kids right here in Humphreys County," Lanham said.
"They have seen heartbreak and still find ways to help others. They have experienced loss and still choose to love."
How to help
For those wanting to donate food to feed families or responders, contact Valerie Woodall, Hickman County EMA, at 931-994-2772 for coordination.
A GoFundMe campaign has been established at https://www.gofundme.com/f/operation-surround-for-hickmanhumphreys-county for additional support.
Crisis support resources are available through the StopIt App, the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, and the Mobile Crisis Helpline at 1-855-274-7471.
In this article, we used artificial intelligence to help us convert a video news report originally written by Kim Rafferty. When using this tool, both Kim and the NewsChannel 5 editorial team verified all the facts in the article to make sure it is fair and accurate before we published it. We care about your trust in us and where you get your news, and using this tool allows us to convert our news coverage into different formats so we can quickly reach you where you like to consume information. It also lets our journalists spend more time looking into your story ideas, listening to you and digging into the stories that matter.
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