London mayor receives surprise gift from emergency responders

LONDON, Ky. (FOX 56) — Residents in London are still working to recover after the deadly tornado, but there was a particular item that stood strong in the storm. That item was gifted to someone whom first responders call a true leader.

A flag that originally waved in front of the airport was still standing strong despite the airport being one of the hard-hit areas. The flag only had small tears; the bulk of it stayed intact. First responders agreed to dedicate and present the flag to London Mayor Randall Weddle.

“I was shocked. Really heart-touching. That night was traumatic for this whole entire community,” Weddle said.

First responders from all sectors of the community came to City Hall on Tuesday to surprise Weddle with the flag. After a big reveal, Weddle was in shock that he was the one selected to receive it.

“It just goes to show you how selfless they are. They didn’t want to put it on the fire department or police or the rescue squad’s wall. They thought of me, and I didn’t know that I was really doing much of anything that night in the storm, directing traffic, running where they needed me to go. I watched them suffer and pack body after body and person after person out of there,” Weddle said.

The next step is choosing a spot for everyone to see it, and the idea is that this flag, still being intact, represents how the community stayed together despite a terrible storm. Bryan Johnson with the London/Laurel rescue squad said wherever it goes, he hopes it’s a beacon of hope for many.

“I’m hoping it’s a reminder of if they’re going through a hard time or struggling with anything, everything is temporary. They’ll get through it. There are organizations and people here to help, and we look for every opportunity we can to help them,” Johnson said.

It’s a day the mayor said he’ll never forget, as the flag represents a community that refused to fall apart at the seams.

“I was doing everything that I could untrained. For them to give that to me, that’s something,” Weddle said.