Kentucky tornado news – latest: Six children confirmed dead as map shows path of destruction in four states

The death toll from tornadoes that ripped through six states on Friday night may well surpass 100 in Kentucky alone, the governor warned.

Gov Andy Beshear suggested that the event was the most devastating tornado event in the state’s history, with 64 confirmed dead and 100 still missing as of Monday morning.

Dozens more deaths have been confirmed across Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee and Illinois, where workers were trapped in an Amazon warehouse when it collapsed, killing six people.

A map from the National Weather Service shows one supercell, which may have been a single tornado or a family of them, which is believed to have carved a 250-mile path across four states, potentially shattering a 1925 record.

Among the confirmed victims of the tornadoes are 43-year-old Kentucky judge Brian Crick, 84-year-old Missouri grandmother Ollie Borgmann, 46-year-old Amazon worker Larry Virden in Illinois and two children ages three and five in Kentucky.

At an emotional press conference on Monday, Gov Beshear said the victims in his state ranged in age from five months old to 86 years old - with six under the age of 18.

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Key Points

• Biden promises support from federal government in call with Kentucky governor

• Arkansas governor says it’s ‘remarkable’ not more people are dead in his state

• Dozens reported dead across five states

• Tornado could have covered 250 miles across four states

• Work release inmate flees from Kentucky hospital after surviving deadly tornado

• President Biden declares major federal disaster in Kentucky

Two-month-old girl dies from tornado injuries

18:00 , Megan Sheets

A two-month-old girl is believed to be the youngest victim killed by tornadoes in Kentucky.

Parents Douglas and Jackie Koon confirmed the death of their infant daughter Oaklynn in a Facebook post on Monday, three days after their home was levelled by a twister.

“At least I know who will be watching over you up there for me. My dad,” her father wrote. “God this doesn’t seem real.”

It is unclear if Oaklynn’s death was included in the updated toll of 64 announced by Governor Andy Beshear this morning. The governor had said the youngest victim killed was five months old.

The Independent’s Gustaf Kilander reports:

Two-month-old girl becomes youngest victim of Kentucky tornado, parents say

Fewer fatalities than feared at Kentucky candle factory

17:41 , Megan Sheets

Workers on the night shift at Mayfield Consumer Products were in the middle of the holiday rush, cranking out candles, when a tornado closed in on the factory and the word went out: “Duck and cover.”

Autumn Kirks pulled down her safety goggles and took shelter, tossing aside wax and fragrance buckets to make room. She glanced away from her boyfriend, Lannis Ward, and when she looked back, he was gone.

Gov Andy Beshear initially said Saturday that only 40 of the 110 people working in the factory at the time were rescued, and that “it’ll be a miracle if anybody else is found alive in it.” But on Sunday, the candle company said that while eight were confirmed dead and eight remained missing, more than 90 others had been located.

Tornado toll in dozens, yet not as high as initially feared

Associated Press

Who are the tornado victims?

17:20 , Megan Sheets

Deaths have been confirmed in at least five of the six states hit by a number of tornadoes over the weekend. The death toll is feared to be more than 100 in Kentucky alone, but casualties have also been reported in Arkansas, Illinois, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee, with fatalities confirmed in all but one of the states.

While many of the victims remain unidentified, The Independent’s Gustaf Kilander explains what we know so far:

Who are the victims of the Kentucky tornadoes devastating the midwest?

78 confirmed dead in five states as of midday Monday

17:00 , Megan Sheets

As of midday Monday, the confirmed death toll from tornadoes that tore across six states stood at 78.

Below is a state-by-state breakdown:

Kentucky - 64

Illinois - 6

Tennessee - 4

Missouri - 2

Arkansas - 2

McConnell thanks Biden for disaster declaration

16:45 , Megan Sheets

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky, thanked President Joe Biden for approving the state’s major disaster declaration in the aftermath of Friday’s tornadoes.

Mr McConnell extended his appreciation in a tweet on Monday after Governor Andy Beshear said Mr Biden was planning to visit the state.

RECAP: Kentucky governor’s emotional update

16:33 , Megan Sheets

Gov Beshear fought back tears as he provided an update on search efforts on Monday morning.

With 64 fatalities confirmed and 105 people still missing, the governor said of the death toll: “Undoubtedly there will be more.”

The dead ranged in age from five months old to 86 years old, with six minor victims and 18 who have yet to be identified, Gov Beshear said. Deaths were reported in eight counties, while 18 sustained damage from tornadoes.

The governor has previously said he believes the death toll statewide will top 100. On Monday he predicted it could take weeks to develop a full account of the devastation.

He tearfully told viewers: “I’m really sorry. You’re not supposed to lose people like this, and to not know and not have the information has got to make it that much harder.”

The Independent’s Megan Sheets reports:

Kentucky governor confirms 64 dead including six children after tornadoes outbreak

Was the Kentucky tornado outbreak linked to climate change?

16:15 , Megan Sheets

The calendar said December but the warm moist air screamed of springtime. Add an eastbound storm front guided by a La Nina weather pattern into that mismatch and it spawned tornadoes that killed dozens over five US states.

Tornadoes in December are unusual, but not unheard of. But the ferocity and path length of Friday night’s tornadoes likely put them in a category of their own, meteorologists say. One of the twisters — if it is confirmed to have been just one — likely broke a nearly 100-year-old record for how long a tornado stayed on the ground in a path of destruction, experts said.

“One word: remarkable; unbelievable would be another,” said Northern Illinois University meteorology professor Victor Gensini. “It was really a late spring type of setup in in the middle of December.”

Warm weather was a crucial ingredient in this tornado outbreak, but whether climate change is a factor is not quite as clear, meteorologists say.

Was the Kentucky tornado outbreak linked to climate change?

Associated Press

Biden to visit Kentucky

15:43 , Megan Sheets

Gov Beshear said President Joe Biden is expected to travel to Kentucky to tour destruction from the tornadoes.

He said a date for the visit has not been set.

The governor also said the main tornado that struck his state could turn out to be a level EF5. He acknowledged that in events of that severity, “what we can do to protect ourselves is limited”.

64 dead in Kentucky and 100 still missing

15:18 , Megan Sheets

Gov Beshear announced 64 people have been confirmed dead in Kentucky and more than 100 are still missing as of Monday morning.

The deaths came from eight different counties, with victims ranging in age from five months old to 86 years old - with six under the age of 18.

The governor said it could take weeks to conclude a full assessment of damage in the state.

WATCH: Kentucky governor gives update on damage

15:06 , Megan Sheets

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear held a press conference on Monday morning to provide an update on damage from Friday’s tornados.

Watch below:

Voices: Kentuckians didn’t ‘reap what we sowed’

14:53 , Megan Sheets

The state of Kentucky bore the brunt of Friday’s tornadoes, with at least 80 people confirmed dead statewide.

The Independent’s Skylar Baker-Jordan, who lived in Bowling Green for seven years, described looking through photos of the devastation in a Voices piece on Monday, writing: “Heartbroken doesn’t even begin to describe what I am feeling.”

But, he continued: “Not everyone sees what I see. Some people in the national media have been derisive towards my home state, blaming its people for voting for senators who oppose climate change or disaster relief for other people. A few have insinuated that Kentuckians are reaping what they sowed. That is grossly cynical and so callous it borders on ghoulish. It is also not the Bowling Green I know, nor is it the Bowling Green I have seen these past few days.

“I would invite those people to come on down to Kentucky once our people have rebuilt what we’ve lost — and we will rebuild, because that’s what Kentuckians do.”

Saying Kentucky ‘reaped what we sowed’ with the tornado is callous and ghoulish

Map shows path of destruction across six states

14:23 , Megan Sheets

A map from the National Weather Service shows the purported path of a tornado that ripped across four states on Friday night.

More than 80 people have been confirmed dead after 37 tornadoes were reported in six states at the start of the weekend.

The most destructive twister, or perhaps a family of them, is believed to have traveled more than 250 miles, touching northeast Arkansas, southeast Missouri, northwest Tennessee and western Kentucky.

If confirmed, the “supercell” could become the longest single-track twister to inflict damage across four states in US history.

Watch Joe Biden’s response to the devastating tornados

13:50 , Eleanor Sly

US President Joe Biden took part in a broadcast to “give remarks” on the storms.

Kentucky judge, grandmother, and three-year-old boy among victims of deadly tornado

13:15 , Eleanor Sly

A Kentucky judge, an 84-year-old woman, and a three-year-old are among the victims of the devastating tornadoes that swept through six US states on Friday night.

As rescue teams comb through the wreckage left by the tornadoes, people who lost their lives are being identified throughout several state agencies, bringing more grief to communities that were already left battered by the disastrous weather.

Dozens of deaths have been confirmed across Arkansas, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri and Tennessee but Kentucky governor Andy Beshear warned on Sunday that his state’s death toll alone could exceed 100.

Maroosha Muzaffar has more:

Kentucky judge, grandmother, and three-year-old boy among victims of deadly tornado

Deadly twin tornados illuminated by lightning in Arkansas

12:30 , Eleanor Sly

Two deadly twin tornadoes were illuminated by lighting as they ripped through Arkansas on Friday night.

The footage, captured in the city of Bay, shows the twisters moving across the landscape.

Up to 100 people are feared dead after a number of tornadoes broke out not only in Arkansas, but four other US states.

Watch the footage at the link below:

Deadly twin tornados illuminated by lightning in Arkansas

Police urge people to stay away from ‘active areas of damage'

11:49 , Eleanor Sly

Kentucky police trooper Sarah Burgess urged people to stay away from “active areas of damage” following the tornado which swept through the town of Mayfield.

She said: ““If you are not actively involved in the rescue and recovery efforts, please stay away from the active areas of damage.”

Work release inmate flees from Kentucky hospital after surviving deadly tornado

11:14 , Eleanor Sly

An inmate injured in Friday night’s tornado that struck Kentucky has escaped from the hospital where he was receiving treatment.

In a statement on 11 December, Kentucky state police said Francisco Starks, an inmate at Graves County Jail, had escaped from the Jackson Purchase Medical Centre.

He was on a work release at the Mayfield Consumer Products candle factory when the building collapsed after a severe tornado struck the region.

Sravasti Dasgupta reports:

Work release inmate flees from Kentucky hospital after surviving deadly tornado

President Biden declares major federal disaster in Kentucky

10:18 , Eleanor Sly

US President Joe Biden declared a major federal disaster in tornadoes-hit Kentucky on Friday, promising additional federal aid to people in the affected areas, a statement from the White House said on Sunday.

The statement read: “Today, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. declared that a major disaster exists in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and ordered Federal aid to supplement Commonwealth and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by severe storms, straight-line winds, flooding, and tornadoes beginning on December 10, 2021, and continuing.”

Affected counties such as Caldwell, Fulton, Graves, Hopkins, Marshall, Muhlenberg, Taylor, and Warren will be provided with federal aid, the White House said in the statement.

Arpan Rai reports:

President Biden declares major federal disaster in Kentucky

The Kentucky guard shares images of ‘another long day here in Mayfield’

09:28 , Eleanor Sly

The Kentucky guard shared images on Twitter of “another long day here in Mayfield “ as they continued to assist in search and rescue for victims of the tornadoes.

Kentucky death toll may pass 100, says state governor

08:55 , Eleanor Sly

The death toll from powerful tornadoes that devastated towns in Kentucky may pass 100, the state governor has said.

Andy Beshear called the event one of the most devastating tornado events in the state’s history, with at least 80 confirmed deaths.

“Nothing that was standing in the direct line of [one] tornado is still standing,” he said.

“We’re still hoping as we move forward for some miracles to find more people,” the governor said during a visit to the town of Mayfield, one of the hardest hit.

Photographs show devastation caused by the tornado

08:23 , Eleanor Sly

Will Biden’s Build Back Better bill do enough on climate spending?

07:40 , Josh Marcus

With disasters like this weekend’s multi-state tornado cluster becoming all the more common during the climate crisis, all eyes are on congressional Democrats as they seek to pass their wide-ranging spending bill before the year is out.

Here’s a reminder of what’s in the bill.

House moves toward OK of Dems' sweeping social, climate bill

Family photo from 1942 found hundreds of miles from home after being swept up in Kentucky tornado

07:34 , Eleanor Sly

A family photograph from the 1940s will be reunited with its owner after being picked up by a tornado in Kentucky, US, and dropped 130 miles away in Indiana.

Katie Posten, 30, a tech worker in New Albany, Indiana, walked outside her house on Saturday morning to find an old black and white photo stuck to the windscreen of her parked car.

The photo showed a woman in a striped sundress holding a little boy in her lap. A note on the back said: “Gertie Swatzell and JD Swatzell, 1942”.

Io Dodds reports:

Family photo found hundreds of miles away after being swept up in Kentucky tornado

Tornado destroys century-old church

06:58 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

A 100-year-old church in Mayfield was destroyed in Friday’s tornado disaster.

Mayfield First United Methodist Church, which has been in the town since 1920, was completely devastated along with the town’s larger building structures.

The roof of the church and a wall collapsed, leaving behind a mess of bricks. Reverend Joey Reed, the lead pastor at the church, told Los Angeles Times that with the roof gone, he could no longer worship at his church.

Kentucky tornado: 100-year-old church in Mayfield destroyed within seconds

Viral photo shows Bibles remain in Kentucky church with roof torn off

06:40 , Josh Marcus

Mayfield, Kentucky, was one of the towns hardest hit during this weekend’s tornado cluster.

A photo is now going viral of one striking scene from Mayfield: a church with its roof torn off, yet miraculously all of its Bibles have stayed in place.

Brett Carlsen of Getty Images took the photograph.Twitter users were struck by the imagery.

Amazon driver died in bathroom while sheltering from tornado

06:32 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

An Amazon cargo driver died in the bathroom of the company’s warehouse on Friday when the deadly tornado struck, his coworker said.

Austin J McEwen, 26, was one of the six workers identified by police on Sunday who were killed in Illinois. “He was my friend and he didn’t make it,” coworker Brian Erdmann told Reuters.

“If I would have got back 45 minutes earlier, I probably would have been at the same place. I would have been right there with him,” he added.

The Amazon facility was hit by a tornado accompanied by 249 km-per-hour winds, according to authorities.

Rand Paul past opposition to disaster funding resurfaces as he asks Biden for tornado aid

05:40 , Josh Marcus

US Senator Rand Paul has a history of voting against federal disaster aid—whether to victims of 2013’s Hurricane Sandy or 2017’s Hurricane Maria—arguing the government should spend on helping these people, but reappropriate current funds rather than add to the federal balance sheet in doing so.

That past resurfaced this weekend as the libertarian senator asked Joe Biden for tornado aid for Kentucky, one of the states hardest hit in the weekend’s tornadoes.

“The Governor of the Commonwealth has requested federal assistance this morning, and certainly further requests will be coming as the situation is assessed,” the senator wrote in a letter to the president. “I fully support those requests and ask that you move expeditiously to approve the appropriate resources for our state.”Some were quick to criticise the Kentucky Republican.

President Joe Biden approves disaster declaration for Kentucky

05:39 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

US President Joe Biden on Sunday declared that a major disaster exists in Kentucky in the aftermath of the tornados.

The declaration makes federal aid available to individuals in the counties of Caldwell, Fulton, Graves, Hopkins, Marshall, Muhlenberg, Taylor, and Warren.

The assistance will include grants for “temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster”.

‘Thank God number is turning out to be far, far fewer,’ says candle factory spokesperson

04:43 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Troy Propes, the CEO of Mayfield Consumer Products, which was completely devastated by the tornado said that eight employees were dead and six were still missing.

At least 110 people were working the night shift at the factory when the storm hit on Friday. The factory was reportedly operating round the clock to meet demands prior to the holidays.

“I believe that more lives would have been lost. I know that ten minutes before they followed all the protocols to get the employees, almost all of the employees to the designated area,” he told Fox News.

Bob Ferguson, the company spokesperson told Reuters: “there were some early reports that as many as 70 could be dead in the factory”.

“One is too many, but we thank God that the number is turning out to be far, far fewer,” he said.

WATCH: Thread shows tornado damage as captured by Snapchat

04:40 , Josh Marcus

Tornadoes may have knocked out communications in some towns as they swept across multiple states this weekend, but that didn’t stop people from using Snapchat to document the chaos.Twitter user Geofrey Friedman gathered some of the shocking videos in a Twitter thread, which you can watch below.

Survivor recalls moments before the storm

03:50 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Autumn Kirks and her partner Lannis Ward were working the night shift at a candle factory for extra money when the tornado went on a rampage.

They both took shelter at the same part of the building, but since then Mr Ward has been missing.

Moments before the storm hit, she moved to a hallway “They said, ‘Duck and cover’. I pulled my safety goggles down, jumped under the closest thing, and seconds later I looked to my left and instead of wall there was sky and lightning and just destruction everywhere,” she recalled.

“I remember taking my eyes off of him for a second, and then he was gone. I don’t know where he went, don’t have any idea,” she added.

Ms Kirks and three of her co-workers were trapped under a wall but were later rescued by another colleague.

Tornado survivor: 'Not knowing is worse than knowing'

Weather map shows Quad-State tornado travel over Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee and Kentucy

03:40 , Josh Marcus

Weather tracking software has provided a new look at the devastating tornado cluster that traveled across a large swathe of the US over the weekend.

In a time-lapse video posted by meteorology student Collin Gross, a tornado can be seen moving across numerous states including Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee and Kentucky.

AP photographer captures rescue worker using treats to lure out scared dog

03:05 , Josh Marcus

Associated Press photographer Mark Humphrey captured a touching moment amid this weekend’s tornado devastation.

He snapped a photo as rescue worker Chris Buchanan used dog treats to coax a large pup named Cheyenne out of a pile of rubble.

‘Extreme and deadly’ future of climate crisis is ‘already here’, says activist of tornado

02:40 , Josh Marcus

The damage on the ground wasn’t the only unprecedented about the Quad-State Tornadoes. So was the climate crisis fueling it, according to meteorologists and climate activists.

“The extreme and deadly future we keep warning you about is already here,” said climate activist Alexandria Villaseñor on Twitter on Saturday.

Here’s how CBS meteorologist Jeff Berardelli explained the climate link to this weekend’s storms.

List of verified GoFundMe campaigns for Kentucky tornado victims

02:05 , Josh Marcus

In addition to giving to the Team Western Kentucky Tornado Relief Fund established by the Kentucky government, many are turning to crowdfunding site GoFundMe to send aid money directly to those affected by the Quad-State Tornadoes.

Here’s a list of verified campaigns. Concerned Americans have already donated tens of thousands of dollars to many individual families.

NWS investigating if ‘Quad-State’ tornado is longest ever

01:40 , Josh Marcus

The tornadoes that tore across four states this weekend may have produced the single longest twister in US history.

The cluster, now being called the “Quad-State Tornado,” spawned more than 30 different tornadoes that traveled across six different states, including one tornado that may have traveled more than 230 miles alone.

The National Weather Service is now conducting ground surveys to analyse the historic storms and their record-breaking potential.

How to help Kentuckians hurt by recent tornadoes

01:15 , Josh Marcus

Wondering how to help those impacted by the recent tornadoes?

Kentucky governor Andy Beshear has established the Team Western Kentucky Tornado Relief Fund, which has raised nearly $1 million since Saturday.

More information at https://secure.kentucky.gov/formservices/Finance/WKYRelief

Twitter user seeks public help in returning 1942 photograph lost in tornadoes

00:50 , Josh Marcus

Twitter user Katie Posten is seeking help from the public, after finding what she believes is a photo from 1942 lost in the recent tornadoes.

She came upon the photograph stuck to a window in New Albany, Indiana. The picture features writing on the back that appears to say “Gertie Swatzell” and “JD Swatzell” on the back.

More information below.

Kentucky tornado: Drone footage captures devastation left by ‘longest-ever’ twister

00:35 , Josh Marcus

Dramatic drone footage has captured the extent of the chaos and devastation left behind by the powerful storm in Kentucky and five neighbouring states of Arkansas, Illinois, Missouri, Mississippi and Tennessee.

The video, which played out on national television and was recorded by Emmy award-winning independent photojournalist and storm chaser Brandon Clement, showed thousands of homes that were decimated over many acres across the state.

“The most intense damage I have found in [Mayfield],” he tweeted, sharing a video in which everything, from trees to shrubs, to homes, was uprooted by the storm. “The entire path in the town is less than 2 [per cent] of the total path length. Homes with only slabs remaining.”

The Independent’s Namita Singh has the details.

Drone footage captures devastation left by ‘longest-ever’ tornado

‘No way in hell I am relying on Amazon’: Company phone ban worries employees after six die in warehouse cave-in

00:11 , Josh Marcus

At least six Amazon employees died on Friday after a warehouse in Edwardsville, Illinois, was struck by a tornado. The deaths have put the company under new scrutiny for its history of sometimes preventing workers from keeping their mobile phones with them on the job.

The Illinois facility, not far from St Louis, Missouri, suffered immense damage during this weekend’s multi-state cluster of tornadoes. Roughly 150 yards of the building collapsed in on itself.

An Amazon worker at a nearby facility told Bloomberg the collapse had raised doubts over whether Amazon’s policies, which have sometimes required workers to keep their phones in their cars or lockers while on the job, did enough to ensure their safety.

More details here.

Amazon workers worry phone ban may put them at risk after six during tornado

PHOTOS: Aerial images show scope of damage at Kentucky factory

Sunday 12 December 2021 23:40 , Gustaf Kilander

Six killed at Amazon facility in Illinois identified

Sunday 12 December 2021 23:15 , Gustaf Kilander

The six Amazon employees who died when a tornado tore through a warehouse in Edwardsville, Illinois have been identified.

Austin McEwen, 26, Deandre Morrow, 28, Clayton Lynn Cope, 29, Etheria Hebb, 34, Larry Virden, 46, and Kevin Dickey, 62, all died when the warehouse caved in.

Officials have said that the fire department is still working at the site to clear debris and is communicating with Amazon to “account for all of their personnel”.

Search efforts will carry on “to ensure that there are no additional victims”.

Edwardsville Fire Chief James Whiteford said on Saturday that “estimates are that the recovery portion of the incident will take about three more days”.

PHOTOS: Residents survey damage and begin to gather belongings

Sunday 12 December 2021 22:50 , Gustaf Kilander

Kentucky district judge one of the victims in storms estimated to have killed hundreds

Sunday 12 December 2021 22:25 , Gustaf Kilander

Kentucky district judge Brian Crick was one of the many who died when a string of tornadoes tore through the midwest.

“We are especially heartbroken to get the news that District Judge Brian Crick, who served McLean and Muhlenberg counties, lost his life during the storm,” Kentucky Supreme Court Chief Justice John Minton Jr said in a statement on the court’s Facebook page.

“This is a shocking loss to his family, his community and the court system, and his family is in our prayers,” he added.

“I have asked our justices, judges, circuit court clerks and AOC managers to try to determine the safety of any court staff in Western Kentucky, and what we can do to help any who need shelter, food or clothing,” the justice said.

Video shows devastation in Tennessee as busloads of supplies head for Kentucky

Sunday 12 December 2021 22:00 , Gustaf Kilander

‘It’s going to take us time’: Weather grows colder as rescue efforts continue

Sunday 12 December 2021 21:35 , Gustaf Kilander

The weather is growing colder, at times reaching freezing temperatures, as rescue efforts continue in areas hit by devastating storms.

“It’s going to take us time,” Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear told CNN. “You think you’d go door to door to check on people and see if they’re okay. There are no doors. The question is, is somebody in the rubble of thousands upon thousands of structures.”

PHOTOS: Kentuckians go through remnants of their homes as death toll expected to rise

Sunday 12 December 2021 21:10 , Gustaf Kilander

Arkansas governor praises nursing home staff for saving lives

Sunday 12 December 2021 20:43 , Gustaf Kilander

Arkansas Governor Asa Hutching praised the staff at a nursing home in Monette for acting quickly and saving lives when the building was torn apart by a tornado on Friday night.

He said that it was “a miracle that we only lost one” resident at the nursing home.

“The staff did an incredible job of using their own bodies to shield some of the residents and the fact that there was a warning system in place helped them to move them into the hallway that saved lives,” he said.

‘This tornado didn’t discriminate’: Kentucky governor confirms children are among the dead

Sunday 12 December 2021 20:23 , Gustaf Kilander

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear has said that a three- and a five-year-old are among the dead, telling CBS that “we’ve lost a number of kids”.

“This tornado didn’t discriminate. Anybody in its path, even if they were trying to be safe, again, just like nothing we’ve ever seen before,” he added.

State parks have been opened to residents. Eleven shelters initially opened their doors, but only six are still operating as Kentuckians instead house both family and friends, but in some cases also strangers who have lost their homes.

The governor said a fund has been created to help with funeral expenses and rebuilding efforts. Mr Beshear also said he’s one of those who have lost family in the storms.

“We’re tough people. We’re going to get through it, but it is not going to be easy,” he said.

PHOTOS: Kentuckians begin to pick up the pieces of destroyed homes

Sunday 12 December 2021 20:03 , Gustaf Kilander

Kentucky governor: Our morgues might not be big enough

Sunday 12 December 2021 19:43 , Gustaf Kilander

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said on Sunday that the state might not have enough space in its morgue facilities following a devastating stream of tornadoes that’s taken 80 lives so far in the state – a number that’s expected to pass 100.

“One of our challenges is we’re losing so many people in this, most of our morgues aren’t big enough, so our coroners from all over the state are coming in,” Mr Beshear told Meet The Press on NBC.

The governor told Face The Nation on CBS that Kentucky will need to rebuild “entire communities”.

“We’re going to have lost thousands of homes because when this tornado hit, it didn’t rip a roof off, it obliterated houses,” he said.

Downtown Mayfield ‘completely leveled'

Sunday 12 December 2021 19:23 , Gustaf Kilander

Kentucky governor says death toll is going to pass 100

Sunday 12 December 2021 19:03 , Gustaf Kilander

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear has said that the death toll in his state will go above 100.

“I’ve got towns that are gone,” he told CNN. “Just gone. My dad’s hometown, half of it isn’t standing.”

Mr Beshear’s father is Steve Beshear, who served as the governor of Kentucky from 2007 until 2015.

The governor added that 40 out of the 110 workers at a candle factory in Mayfield have made it out alive.

“I’m not sure that we’re gonna see another rescue. I pray for it,” he said.

‘A lot we need to do as a nation,’ FEMA administrator says

Sunday 12 December 2021 18:43 , Gustaf Kilander

FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell has said that there’s “a lot we need to do as a nation” in terms of mitigating the devastating impact of future tornado events.

“We’re seeing more intense storms, severe weather, whether it’s hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires. And one of the focuses my agency is going to have is, how can we start to reduce the impacts of these events as they continue to grow?”

She said the work involves helping communities become more “resilient” to severe weather events.

Rescue workers continue work as death reaches 90 across six states

Sunday 12 December 2021 18:23 , Gustaf Kilander

The death toll reached 90 on Sunday as rescue workers continued their work looking for survivors in the rubble of crushed buildings across the six states hit by a devastating tornado system between Friday and Saturday.

Officials said the death toll was certain to increase, having already reached 80 in the state hit the worst by the storms – Kentucky.

“It’s devastation like none of us have ever seen before,” Governor Andy Beshear told CNN on Sunday. He added that it would be “a miracle” to find anyone alive in the candle factory in Mayfield, Kentucky that collapsed on Friday night. While some made it out alive, many out of the 110 people believed to be inside are still missing.

Parts of Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee were all affected by the tornadoes, according to the National Weather Service.

FEMA has about 100 staff on the ground in Kentucky, administrator says

Sunday 12 December 2021 18:03 , Gustaf Kilander

Drone video shows devastation to homes at lake in Kentucky

Sunday 12 December 2021 17:43 , Gustaf Kilander

Head of FEMA says ‘life-saving’ will be main focus for Sunday and Monday

Sunday 12 December 2021 17:23 , Gustaf Kilander

FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell has said that the main focus for both Sunday and Monday would be life-saving missions to find people trapped in the rubble across the six states hit by tornadoes overnight between Friday and Saturday.

“It’s going to be a long recovery,” she told This Week on ABC.

FEMA administrator says officials are ‘still in the life-saving and life-sustaining mode'

Sunday 12 December 2021 17:03 , Gustaf Kilander

FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell told This Week on ABC that officials are “still in the life-saving and life-sustaining mode”.

“We’re sending additional resources in to help locate anybody who still may be trapped,” she added.

‘At least 56,000 homes without power,’ Kentucky governor says

Sunday 12 December 2021 16:43 , Gustaf Kilander

The governor of Kentucky, Democrat Andy Beshear, told NBC’s Meet The Press that there are “at least 56,000 homes without power” and that almost all of them are located in the western parts of the state.

“We look out for one another,” he added.

“Those of us blessed to not be hit by this tornado take other people in whether we know them or not,” Mr Beshear said.

Meteorologist says strength of tornadoes is ‘unprecedented'

Sunday 12 December 2021 16:23 , Gustaf Kilander

ABC News meteorologist Rob Marciano has said that the strength of the tornadoes hitting six states overnight between Friday and Saturday was “unprecedented”.

He added that “having this happen in the month of December this far north” is also unusual.

‘It was like heaven sucked up’ roof of nursing home, Arkansas governor says

Sunday 12 December 2021 16:03 , Gustaf Kilander

The Governor of Arkansas, Republican Asa Hutchinson, told CNN’s State of the Union, that “it was like heaven sucked up” the roof of a nursing home in Monette in the northeastern parts of the state.

“It’s just a miracle with 67 residents that we only lost one there,” he added.

FEMA Administrator: ‘There is still hope'

Sunday 12 December 2021 15:43 , Gustaf Kilander

FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell told CNN’s State of the Union that “there is still hope and we should continue to try to find as many people as we can”.

She added that the agency’s most important work at this time involves life-saving missions and short-term sheltering of those unable to live with friends and family.

Gov Beshear: ‘I know we’ve lost more than 80 Kentuckians'

Sunday 12 December 2021 15:23 , Gustaf Kilander

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear told CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday that at least 80 people have died in the state and that the number of fatalities is expected to go above 100.

“I know we’ve lost more than 80 Kentuckians. That number is going to exceed more than 100. This is the deadliest tornado event we’ve ever had,” he said.

“I think it’s going to be the longest and deadliest tornado event in US history,” he added.

Drone video shows path of tornado as it tore apart homes

Sunday 12 December 2021 15:03 , Gustaf Kilander

Illinois officials say search and rescue efforts are transitioning to recovery

Sunday 12 December 2021 14:43 , Gustaf Kilander

Officials in Edwardsville, Illinois said during a press briefing on Saturday that six people had been killed when an Amazon warehouse collapsed and that the search and rescue efforts were transitioning to a recovery mission.

“We don’t expect that anyone could be surviving,” Edwardsville Fire chief James Whiteford said.

He added that the tornado had struck at the time of a shift change and it was unclear how many people were inside the building at the time.