Tornadoes and violent storms have hit seven US states in recent hours, killing more than 70 people in Kentucky alone and leaving a 200-mile trail of destroyed homes and buildings, US officials said.
Early Saturday morning at least four tornadoes struck parts of Kentucky, causing significant damage in more than a dozen counties.
At a Saturday morning press conference, Kentucky Governor Andy Besheer said the death toll could exceed a hundred. “The level of destruction is unlike anything I’ve seen,” said the governor, quoted by Reuters.
“Earlier this morning, we were confident we would lose over 50 Kentucky residents. Now I am sure that this number is over 70. In fact, by the end of the day it may exceed 100, ”he added.
In previous statements to WLKY Television, Beshir admitted that “daylight” could bring “more difficult news.” “It was one of the toughest nights in Kentucky history,” he lamented. “Some places have suffered in such a way that it is difficult to describe in words.”
According to the Governor of Kentucky, 189 National Guard troops have been sent to areas hardest hit by the tornado.
One of the hardest hit areas was Mayfield, a small western town of about 10,000 affected by heavy rains and winds at a speed of over 300 kilometers per hour… About 110 people were inside the candle factory when one of the tornadoes hit the city and destroyed the roof of the building, leaving several people dead. About 40 people were rescued from the plant.
Some videos and photos posted on social media show destruction in downtown Mayfield, with cars nearly buried under rubble.
Police stations and fire departments were also destroyed, and a curfew was imposed at 19:00 (local time), according to the Mayfield police chief.
In the first hours after the tornado hit Kentucky, more than 56,000 people were left without electricity, and Governor Besheer declared a state of emergency.
The tornadoes were the result of a series of storms that struck overnight, including a violent storm that formed in Arkansas and headed towards the states of Missouri, Tennessee and Kentucky.
One person was also killed and five were seriously injured when a tornado struck a nursing home in Monette, Arkansas. A few kilometers from Lichville, in the same state, a tornado also destroyed a store, killing one person.
In Illinois, police also confirmed that at least two people were injured after the roof of an Amazon warehouse in Edwardsville partially collapsed. Rescuers continue to search for rubble, with the chief of police. Ilyinois It turned out that, according to the authorities, at the time of the hurricane there were about 50 employees in the warehouse.
In Tennessee, violent storms have killed at least three people, according to Dean Flener, a spokesman for the Tennessee Department of Emergency Management.
According to Reuters, the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center said it received 36 reports of tornadoes hitting the states of Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri, Arkansas and Mississippi.
I was briefed this morning about devastating tornadoes in the central United States. Losing a loved one in such a storm is an unimaginable tragedy. We are working with governors to ensure they have what they need as survivors search and damage assessments continue.
US President Joe Biden ordered this Saturday to channel federal resources to areas in greatest need, the White House said. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) directs human resources to assist in emergency operations and to provide water and other essential supplies in the hardest hit regions.
Biden reacted via social networking site Twitter, stating that he had been informed of “devastating tornadoes” that hit the United States. “Losing a loved one in such a storm is an unimaginable tragedy. We are working with the governors to provide them with everything they need while the search for survivors and the damage assessment continues, ”he added.
