A wave of tornadoes across five states of the Midwest and South region of the country left more than 80 people dead, with hundreds still missing. Andy Beshear, the Governor of Kentucky, noted this was the most dangerous tornado of the state’s history.
Kentucky and four other states face chronic destruction
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration noted over 30 tornadoes were reported on Friday and Saturday, which released devastation across the five states. In Mayfield, where the candle factory was struck down, the largest devastation is expected.
Kentucky was the worst impacted state, with 70 people already reported dead. Authorities believe the death toll could rise to more than 200, as almost 100 people were inside a candle factory that flattened, due to the tragedy.
Torando Warning in KY has clipped norther Christian Co KY. No threat to Christian Co. Rotating storm is in Muhlenberg Co & moving away. pic.twitter.com/neUsFaDj3S
— Katy Morgan (@katymorganwx) December 11, 2021
An Amazon warehouse was destroyed in St. Louis, Illinois, where at least six people died. While four deaths were confirmed in Tennessee, two people lost their lives in Missouri and Arkansas.
Rescue operations are underway to find missing people, as the administration is busy locating them under flattened buildings. However, due to the scale of the devastation, it is impossible to reach every household.
Beshear asserted while the administration was busy finding people door to door, most homes are doorless after the storm. Kyanna Parsons Perez, one of the workers of the factory, survived the nightmare.
She noted that her eyes started popping immediately; suddenly, everyone started feeling back and forth movements, just before the building fell down. In a matter of moments, Perez was buried in five feet of debris under a water fountain.
For over three hours, she was under the building; however, she maintained her consciousness during the whole event, while sharing it on Facebook Live. Fortunately, she did not sustain any serious injuries.
The Kentucky governor has already claimed not many people still present under the structure could survive the accident. Speaking about the severity of the situation, Beshear noted this event would result in the loss of a lot of lives, as it is a dire situation for the country.
Biden to increase Kentucky funds to avert the crisis
In order to mitigate the danger, Biden already approved an emergency declaration for Kentucky, diverting federal funding to the state.
Heart-wrenching news coming from the USA as extreme long-track & violent tornado leaves a path of devastation crossing *four* states.
A particularly severe setup for December fuelled by insane warmth & moisture transport under a vigorous short-wave trough. pic.twitter.com/zyuhW86Kyc
— Scott Duncan (@ScottDuncanWX) December 11, 2021
The Democrat president then noted every American is feeling the pain of the devastating episode together. Later, Biden began stating the US federal government has the responsibility of protecting the troubled ones.
Reports suggest that the frequency of tornadoes has increased in recent years; however, scientists have yet to decide if climate change is a factor behind these disasters.
Due to the rescue operations going on, power outages were seen across the devastated areas. Reportedly, more than 100,000 people were without electricity in the impacted states.
