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The death toll is expected to rise still higher, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) said Monday, adding that it could take weeks to determine the total number of fatalities and the full extent of the damage.
"We’re still finding people,” the governor said at a news briefing.
Biden has pledged to ensure the impacted states get “whatever they need, when they need it.”
Video: A candle factory survivor tells her story
Return to menuSharla Payne was working the night shift at the Mayfield Consumer Products candle factory in Mayfield, Ky., when a tornado hit on Dec. 10, flattening the building and trapping more than 100 people inside. Her son and a family friend, Timothy Townsend, rushed to the scene to assist with rescue efforts.
The record-breaking tornadoes that swept the United States, by the numbers
Return to menuAs rescue teams and volunteers combed through debris across nine states this weekend looking for survivors, the unprecedented scale of devastation left behind by the storm began to come into focus.
Homes and businesses had been torn from their foundations. Two warehouses had collapsed, trapping and killing employees. Hundreds of thousands of Americans were left without power in mid-December, forcing Kentucky and Tennessee to open shelters where people could warm themselves.
In hardest-hit Kentucky, where multiple tornadoes touched down Friday night and into Saturday morning, Gov. Andy Beshear (D) said at Monday that 74 deaths had been confirmed.
“Thousands of homes are damaged if not entirely destroyed,” Beshear said, “and it may be weeks before we have final counts on both deaths and levels of destruction.”
From a meteorological perspective, the storm will also stand out for its timing, duration and strength. For decades to come, meteorologists will focus on a particularly large supercell, or rotating thunderstorm, which spurred the tornado or series of twisters that caused the majority of the destruction, leading researchers to investigate if such events will happen more often in a warming world.
Both the human and economic costs of this 200-mile-long extreme weather event are still being tabulated. Here is a look at the devastation, by the numbers.
‘We got free food’: He drove from Tenn., meat smoker in tow, to feed a Ky. town after tornadoes
Return to menuMAYFIELD, Ky. — Jimmy Finch hauled rare commodities into Mayfield in the predawn hours Sunday morning: hot food and optimism for a community reeling from the deaths and destruction wrought by the worst tornado event in Kentucky’s history.
Finch, 42, drove from his home in Clarksville, Tenn., to spend the day feeding residents who had been without heat or water since Friday night. He worked his meat smoker with chicken, hot links, burgers and soy patties as he surveyed what remained of the packs of bottled water and frozen meat in the bed of his pickup truck.
“Y’all come on in, we got free food!” Finch called from behind the smoker perched on a trailer.
Finch did not ask where people were from or what had happened — he only asked what they wanted to eat. Throughout the day, bleary-eyed families with children filled paper plates with the day’s meal while volunteer cleanup crews and workers with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet grabbed a burger before heading back to clear more debris.
Finch said he has no ties to Mayfield — he lives an hour and a half away and has never been hit by a devastating tornado. But the decision to borrow a relative’s smoker and drive in the dark so he could start lighting coals by 4:30 a.m. was a simple one.
Tornadoes killed her grandparents. Eight strangers helped her save their photos.
Return to menuThe tornadoes took everything when they barreled through Judy and Billy Miller’s house in Kentucky, leaving just a ring of cinder blocks.
But their photos — documenting a 56-year marriage cut short — survived.
A farmer in Indiana found a picture of the Millers as young parents. A 50th anniversary photo blew upstate. A black and white childhood portrait flew more than 100 miles to Louisville, where Ellen Sears went to the park Saturday to take in a stormy sunrise. Soon Sears spotted something nestled in the grass that “just didn’t belong” — a girl’s photo, labeled “Judy,” somehow unscathed.
Sears shared the picture at 6:39 p.m. in a rapidly growing Facebook group called “Quad State Tornado Found Items.” The Millers’ granddaughter, 25-year-old Haley Burton, saw the photo quickly.
Eight dead, 102 found alive at candle factory, spokesman says, after fears that dozens had perished
Return to menuKentucky officials working to identify residents killed in the weekend tornado outbreak are still trying to verify information from a candle manufacturer indicating that the death toll at the factory is far lower than feared.
A spokesman for Mayfield Consumer Products told The Washington Post on Monday evening that eight employees are confirmed dead and 102 have been found alive — after officials initially thought that dozens had perished.
“Oh, my gosh, it’s incredible,” spokesman Bob Ferguson said of the survivors.
The governor of Kentucky said earlier Monday that his office was still working to confirm the company’s numbers, but he said the possibility that early estimates were wrong had offered some hope during very dark days in his state.
“We are working on verifying the information from the candle factory that right now would only have eight confirmed dead, which is the Christmas miracle we hope for,” the governor said at a news briefing. “But we have to make sure it’s accurate.”
The governor asked that all of the workers check in with His House Ministries in Mayfield, where officials are coordinating search and recovery efforts.
Ferguson said the company was able to locate many of the employees Sunday, after people had a chance to charge their cellphones and could receive calls from workers in human resources trying to track them down.
“We were very fortunate yesterday,” he said.
Researchers ponder why Friday’s tornadoes led to so many deaths, despite ample warning
Return to menuDespite accurate forecasts and timely warnings, Friday night’s tornado outbreak was December’s deadliest on record. Researchers of many stripes, from engineers and forecasters to social scientists, now face the burning question: why?
Experience from past tornado disasters assures that the answers will be complex and multidimensional, taking months if not years to pin down.
But the evidence so far suggests the timing of the tornadoes, coming in the dark of night, their exceptional intensity and the population density of the region hit were all key factors in the catastrophe — which advanced warning could not overcome.
Death toll climbs in Kentucky as recovery efforts continue
Return to menuThe official death toll in Kentucky after tornadoes swept through its western region has reached 74 people, Gov. Andy Beshear (D) announced Monday afternoon
“Again, we expect that this death toll will continue to grow,” Beshear said at a news conference. “One-hundred-nine Kentuckians now unaccounted for. But as I look at this broken down by county, it’s way more people unaccounted for than this.”
Beshear said the number of deaths and those unaccounted will continue to rise as multiple towns remain under rubble.
The governor said 448 National Guardsmen are on the ground with 95 engaging in fatality and missing-people searches. Another 55 Guardsmen are providing logistics support, along with three National Guard members serving as chaplains.
The state is also working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which has deployed cadaver-finding dogs in Mayfield and other counties.
“We’ve got a fatality count that’s going up every day, which means we’re still finding people,” he said.
Victims range from 5 months to 86 years, Beshear says
Return to menuAt least 64 people in western Kentucky are dead and 105 are missing after at least four tornadoes swept through the state this weekend, Beshear said, adding that “there will be more” fatalities confirmed.
The identified victims range in age from 5 months to 86 years, and six were juveniles, Beshear told reporters. Eighteen of the dead remain unidentified.
Most of the deaths were reported in Graves County — where Mayfield is located — with others in Hopkins, Muhlenberg, Warren, Caldwell, Marshall, Taylor, Fulton and Lyon counties.
At the devastated Mayfield Consumer Products candle factory in Mayfield, eight of the approximately 110 people in the building are dead, Beshear said, citing information from the company that the state was working to verify. Mayfield Consumer Products spokesman Bob Ferguson told The Post on Monday afternoon that four people at the factory were unaccounted for; the others are alive and accounted for.
The state plans to provide $5,000 for burial expenses to each Kentucky family that lost a member in the storms, Beshear said.
OSHA investigating Amazon warehouse collapse in Illinois
Return to menuFederal regulators are investigating the collapse of an Amazon warehouse in Edwardsville, Ill., which occurred Friday night during a tornado in the region.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration confirmed Monday that compliance officers have been on-site at the building collapse since this weekend. It has six months to conduct the investigation, it said in a statement.
The 1.1-million-square-foot Amazon facility was severely damaged Friday when a tornado ripped through the area. Six people died in the building, and a seventh is injured, Governor J.B. Pritzker said at a news conference Monday.
An investigation to look at potential structural issues and ensure the building is up to code is ongoing, officials said at the news conference. Amazon spokeswoman Kelly Nantel said at the conference that the Amazon facility was “constructed consistent with code.”
Illinois governor suggests building codes could be adjusted because of climate change
Return to menuIllinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) suggested that building codes for facilities such as a warehouse partly destroyed by a tornado may need to be adjusted in the future as climate change exacerbates natural disasters.
Speaking at a briefing Monday from Edwardsville, Ill., where a tornado hit an Amazon distribution center and killed six people, the governor said an investigation is underway “to make sure that all of the code was followed in the building … and to find out what exactly occurred here.”
(Amazon founder Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post.)
“This tornado was something that was an unexpected major, severe storm — we’re seeing more and more of that, I might add, throughout the state of Illinois,” he said.
“So it makes us wonder, and I’ve spoken with legislators who are here, too, about whether or not we need to change code based upon the climate change that we’re seeing all around us. But, suffice to say that’s something that we’re deeply concerned about to make sure that the code is where it ought to be.”
He later said his state is “a hub for distribution, warehousing, manufacturing, and so on.”
“We want to attract those businesses, we want to keep those businesses here in Illinois — and yes, we want to make sure the code is up to date, especially up to date given the serious change in climate we’ve seen across the country.”
Scientists say that while the exact link between climate change and tornadoes is not clear, higher temperatures could add fuel to tornadoes in the future.
On Sunday, Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell told CNN that “this is going to be our new normal,” noting the agency is preparing to respond as the changing climate fuels severe weather events of a similar scale.
FedEx reports ‘substantial’ disruptions from storm, while UPS, USPS fare better
Return to menuPackage and letter delivery services, which had been operating at peak holiday levels, reported varying levels of disruption after the weekend’s storms, which caused widespread destruction across several states and dozens of deaths. Officials say it will take days, if not weeks, to fully assess the damage.
FedEx Express said it is working through “substantial disruptions” from thunderstorms at its Memphis hub that could lead to nationwide delivery delays, according to a statement released Saturday. UPS, meanwhile, said its network is “running smoothly,” according to spokeswoman Carmen Ballon.
The U.S. Postal Service does not expect any significant service delays because of the storms, which flattened western Kentucky and parts of Arkansas, Missouri and Tennessee. The post office in Mayfield, Ky., was heavily damaged and is closed as recovery efforts in the region continue. Residents there can pick up their mail at the Paducah, Ky., process and distribution center, located 27 miles north.
The mail service is expected to deliver 2.3 billion pieces of letter mail and packages in the run-up to Christmas.
At least 77 people died in the storms, including six Amazon workers at a collapsed warehouse in Illinois.
Kelly Nantel, an Amazon spokeswoman, said the e-commerce giant did not anticipate sustained delivery disruptions. “Amazon has a large enough footprint in the region to continue delivering for our customers,” she said.
(Amazon founder Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post.)
Biden to travel to Kentucky on Wednesday
Return to menuPresident Biden will travel to Kentucky on Wednesday to survey the damage from a string of tornadoes that hit that state and several others over the weekend.
“We’re going to get this done. We’re going to be there as long as it takes to help,” Biden said Monday at a briefing on the federal response to the tornadoes. He added that governors of the states that had been affected would get “whatever they need, when they need it.”
Biden said he was working with state officials to ensure that his visit will not get in the way of recovery efforts. Biden will first travel Wednesday to Fort Campbell for a storm briefing, then to Mayfield and Dawson Springs to survey storm damage, the White House said.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who is often at odds with the Biden administration, thanked the president Monday for his rapid approval of a major disaster declaration for Kentucky.
“Our entire congressional delegation came together to support @GovAndyBeshear’s request,” McConnell tweeted. “I appreciate the Administration’s quick work to speed resources to help deal with this crisis.”
Hundreds of federal emergency workers are aiding Kentucky’s recovery
Return to menuAbout 300 National Guard members are helping with rescue and recovery in Kentucky as survivors survey what remains of their properties and state workers haul debris and collect dead livestock.
Federal Emergency Management Agency officials also will be on the ground to help residents document losses at their homes and file insurance claims, Beshear told reporters.
“I believe this is the most rapid response by the federal government in the history of the United States of America,” he said. “And we need it.”
Beshear ordered state offices to fly their flags at half-staff for a week beginning Tuesday to honor the dead and others affected by the violent storms. Cabins and cottages in state parks will serve as emergency housing for at least two weeks, and the state is looking for volunteers to help wash dishes and clothes at the sites.
The state-run Team Western Kentucky Tornado Relief fund had collected more than $4 million in donations as of early Monday, Beshear said. Part of that money will be doled out to victims’ families, each of whom will receive $5,000 for burial expenses.
Officials warned that restoring the state would take a long time.
“This is not going to be a months or a weeks operation, folks,” said Michael Dossett, director of Kentucky Emergency Management. “This will go on for years to come.”
Beshear chokes up as he shares tornado update: ‘I’m not doing so well today’
Return to menuBeshear paused for a moment before sharing some of the known details about the lives lost in these tornadoes.
Glancing down at a sheet of paper, then bracing his hand on his chin, the governor’s voice shook as he told the public that of those killed who have been identified, the ages range from 5 months to 86 years.
“Six are younger than 18,” he said, dropping his fist on the surface of the lectern. Of the 64 confirmed deaths, 18 are unidentified.
A day earlier, Beshear told CBS News’s Margaret Brennan that his own relatives have lost family members in the disaster.
“We are tough people. We’re going to get through it and it’s not going to be easy,” he said. “I’m still emotional after a couple of days — just learned that my uncle lost a couple of cousins in Muhlenberg County.”
Beshear said Monday that in that county, there have been 11 confirmed fatalities.
“Like the folks in western Kentucky, I’m not doing so well today,” he said during Monday’s news conference. “I’m not sure how many of us are.”
He urged people to “get the help you need. Take care of yourself and we’ll continue to provide updates. … We’re not going anywhere. We’re going to be with you today, we’re going to be with you tomorrow.”
As he worked Monday morning to get details of confirmed fatalities across numerous counties, he said he realized that he was jotting notes on a piece of paper that belonged to one of his children.
The notes from school, he said, were about inertia.
“It means that an object that’s in motion will stay in motion,” he said. “So we’re going to keep putting one foot in front of the other and push through this.”