Mark Pope visited London, KY today to help with tornado relief efforts

On Friday night and into Saturday morning, tornadoes ripped through southern/southeastern Kentucky. Nearly 20 people from the Bluegrass have been confirmed dead, a number that could grow even higher over the coming days. Laurel and Pulaski County were hit especially hard as entire communities were destroyed by the devastating storms.

To help begin the challenging journey of rebuilding all that was lost, Kentucky men’s basketball head coach Mark Pope stopped in London on Sunday morning to lend a helping hand. Shane Bundy, who lives in the area, posted to his Facebook page a picture of Pope helping clear debris from the roof of someone’s house.

Pope spent all day Friday and Saturday on the recruiting trail, but made sure to find time and show his support for his fellow Kentuckians.

Governor Andy Beshear said Saturday that over a dozen businesses in Somerset, where the tornado was rated as an F3, were either damaged or destroyed due to the storms. Other areas of the state were also greatly impacted by the severe weather.

Former Kentucky player Reed Sheppard, who is from London, was among the hundreds of people who provided help on Saturday. Many of the current/incoming Wildcats also shared their support on social media for all those feeling the effects of this disaster.

Former Kentucky MBB head coach John Calipari was well-known for doing whatever he could to help out during state-wide disasters, and Pope has followed in those footsteps ever since being hired last spring. If you would like to help, head over to http://teamkystormrelieffund.ky.gov. Or you can call The Red Cross at 1-800-RED-CROSS for more information.