Tornado Strikes Multiple States, Over 70 Dead, Area Devastated
Last night a tornado hit an Amazon warehouse in Edwardsville, Illinois. It collapsed the roof and left people trapped. It was termed a “mass casualty incident.” Two people were reported killed in early reports. Search and rescue activities are still underway, trying to help people there.
On Saturday, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said that he is “certain” more than 70 people are dead after a tornado traveled around 227 miles through the commonwealth.
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Beshear called it the most devastating tornado event in state history, and he said that the death toll could top 100.
“Everywhere along this line of this tornado where it touched down … has been severely and significantly impacted,” Beshear said.
“It is indescribable,” he said. “The level of devastation is unlike anything I have ever seen.”
But it was only part of the story, with tornadoes hitting multiple states, including Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Kentucky. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said at least 70 people died in that state, and the toll might reach 100. He declared a state of emergency after a single tornado ripped across the state for more than 200 miles. At least four different tornadoes struck the state during the night.
This shows the path of the storm that created multiple tornadoes:
Republican Sens. Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul of Kentucky State issued statements.
“As I continue to get reports from my staff, local and state officials, we will work with the entire Kentucky federal delegation to support Governor Andy Beshear’s requests for federal assistance to aid these hard-hit communities with the funding and resources they need to rebuild,” McConnell said.
“Our hearts are broken for all those suffering from last night’s terrible storms,” Paul said.
Tornado warnings issued Friday also covered Arkansas, Illinois, Missouri, and Tennessee. Nearly 180,000 utility customers in those five states were without power early Saturday.
On Saturday morning, Biden said he had been briefed “on the devastating tornadoes across the central U.S.”
“We’re working with Governors to ensure they have what they need as they search for survivors and damage assessments continue,” Biden tweeted. “To lose a loved one in a storm like this is an unimaginable tragedy.”
Mayfield Police Chief Nathan King also said that their police station was destroyed by the tornado, comprising their vehicle fleets and communications technology. But that’s not stopping them from responding to the emergency, he said.
Beshear said four tornadoes, one of which stayed on the ground for more than 200 miles after touching down, had swept through the state. Almost 60,000 Kentuckians had been left without power, he said.
The city of Mayfield had been “devastated,” he said, adding that a roof collapse at a candle factory had “resulted in mass casualties.”
Mayfield Assistant Fire Chief Jeremy Creason said that the bulk of their resources would deal with the facility’s devastation. At the same time, Creason is looking for a temporary home for their central fire station since it was destroyed by the tornado, leaving it “fully inoperable,” he said.
Beshear later tweeted a letter he sent to President Joe Biden asking for “an immediate federal emergency declaration.” Such declaration is expected to become official early afternoon.
Elsewhere, one person was dead, and five were seriously injured when an apparent tornado struck the Monette Manor Nursing Home in Monette, Arkansas, Craighead County Judge Marvin Day said. He initially said two people had died.
Kentucky Emergency Management Director Michael Dossett said the storm represented a significant massive disaster event in a news conference.
“All state resources are being brought to bear,” he said, adding that “it’ll be daybreak before we even realize the full magnitude of this event.”
Trucks from the Federal Emergency Management Agency are on their way to Kentucky with search and rescue teams who will be assisting local authorities as well as temporary power systems, Dossett said late Saturday morning.
Republican Sens. Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul of Kentucky State issued statements.
“As I continue to get reports from my staff, local and state officials, we will work with the entire Kentucky federal delegation to support Governor Andy Beshear’s requests for federal assistance to aid these hard-hit communities with the funding and resources they need to rebuild,” McConnell said.
“Our hearts are broken for all those suffering from last night’s terrible storms,” Paul said.
Tornado warnings issued Friday also covered Arkansas, Illinois, Missouri, and Tennessee. Nearly 180,000 utility customers in those five states were without power early Saturday.
On Saturday morning, Biden said he had been briefed “on the devastating tornadoes across the central U.S.”
“We’re working with Governors to ensure they have what they need as they search for survivors and damage assessments continue,” Biden tweeted. “To lose a loved one in a storm like this is an unimaginable tragedy.”
Mayfield Police Chief Nathan King also said that their police station was destroyed by the tornado, comprising their vehicle fleets and communications technology. But that’s not stopping them from responding to the emergency, he said.
Mayfield police will begin 12-hour shifts to help with the response, particularly enforcing a new curfew urging residents in the Kentucky town to remain indoors after 7 p.m.
King said that first responders would be the only ones allowed in the streets overnight.
Deaths and damages in Tennessee, Missouri
A possible tornado also struck in Samburg, Tennessee, where the local fire department was severely damaged, the Obion County Sheriff’s Office said.
At least three fatalities have been confirmed in Tennessee in connection to the tornadoes, according to Dean Flener, a spokesperson for the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency. He said two people died in Lake County and another one in Obion County in a statement.
In Missouri, three others were rescued from collapsed structures flattened by the tornadoes in Missouri.
At least one death has been reported in Missouri’s Charles County due to the tornadoes, NBC’s St. Louis affiliate, KSDK, said.
Earlier, the National Weather Service also issued a tornado emergency for the Kentucky cities of Madisonville, Earlington, and Nortonville. Such a designation signifies that a “severe threat to human life is imminent,” catastrophic damage is likely, or that there’s reliable information that a tornado touched down.
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