The whirlwind events of the last three years serve as a metaphor for the catastrophic whirlwind that tore Josh and Misty Grebner’s Marshall County, Kentucky community to pieces exactly three years ago. On December 10, 2021, Gilbertsville was one of numerous towns along the 165-mile path of a devastating and deadly outbreak of tornadoes. Only a matter of weeks earlier, the Grebners and their two school-age children had embarked on a new life adventure – taking ownership of a popular Gilbertsville business, the Moors Resort.
While the Moors made it through the storms without significant damage, hundreds of homes and businesses stretching from Tennessee through Western Kentucky were destroyed. The Grebners quickly realized that fate had placed them in exactly the right circumstances to help many of their neighbors who had been displaced by the storm damage: their efforts to hit the ground running as new resort proprietors meant they had booked several holiday parties for the coming week. Now, of course, those parties would never happen. “We had ordered all of the food, and it was literally laid out and thawed, ready to be cooked,” said Misty Grebner. “It was like we just kept experiencing all of these little miracles that just seemed to show up without anyone even having to ask. Every time there was a need, big or small – it was met.”
The Moors became a haven for families displaced by the tornadoes and for first responders needing rest after long hours helping those in need. It was a place to gather for complementary meals, to shed tears or offer healing hugs. But the greater community did have another need… for communications infrastructure wiped out by tornadoes to be rebuilt. In this age of network transformation toward new technologies, AT&T’s tornado-damaged legacy copper-based communications equipment in this part of Western Kentucky would be replaced with high-speed fiber connections.
On December 10, 2024 – three years to the day from when the tornadoes touched down – Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear joined AT&T Kentucky President Carlos E. Sanchez and the Kentucky Lake Chamber of Commerce at the Moors Resort to celebrate the more than 1,100 new customer locations in the Gilbertsville area where AT&T Fiber is now offered. This fiber expansion included the AT&T deployment of more than 193,000 feet of multi-strand fiber, covering more than 36 route miles at an AT&T investment of more than $3.5 million.
“We made a promise to the people of Western Kentucky that we’d be here until every home and life is rebuilt,” said Gov. Beshear. “Today marks an important step in making good on that promise. We’re proud that the communications infrastructure here has not only been repaired but transformed to the latest and best technology available. This is another example of how we are keeping that promise and providing what is needed for people here to thrive.”
Misty and Josh Grebner confirm, their family and business are thriving… and so are their high-speed fiber connections. “The fiber we are now able to have both residentially and at our small businesses really bridges the technology gap we’ve had for years in this area,” Misty said. “The increase in speed, stability and reliability is amazing. Our entire AT&T Fiber experience has been nothing short of miraculous.”
