A devastating tragedy…
At least 50 people have sadly lost their lives after some severe weather caused multiple tornadoes to rip through several states, including Kentucky, Arkansas, Tennessee, Missouri, Mississippi, and Illinois, late Friday night and early Saturday morning.
According to CNN, more than 30 tornadoes were reported across at least six states. Meteorologists even believe that a single twister may have traveled more than 200 miles starting in Arkansas and continuing into Kentucky. Among the most significant damage, the weather system destroyed a candle factory in Kentucky, collapsed the roof and other parts of an Amazon warehouse in Illinois, and demolished a nursing home in Arkansas. Deaths were reported at each site, and what’s even worse is that officials fear the death toll may rise up to 100 people.
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While the extent of the destruction won’t be fully known for a while, videos popping up on social media from the impacted states have already shown the significant damage to homes, vehicles, and more. According to PowerOutage.US, around 331,549 utility customers in fours states are currently without power.
As we mentioned before, a candle factory in Mayfield, Kentucky, was hit while about 110 people were inside – leading to multiple fatalities. Speaking to MSNBC, Kyanna Parsons-Perez, an employee at the business, recalled how workers were gathered in an emergency room when they felt everything shake, then a rush of wind, and suddenly “boom, the roof collapsed on us.” She told the outlet that her legs were stuck underneath a water fountain and air conditioning unit. Some of her colleagues who were trapped beneath debris started ripping through the dry-wall and digging everyone else out, but they couldn’t remove the air conditioning unit off her. When first responders got to the scene, she lost feeling in her legs and had five feet of rubble on top:
“It was the most frightening thing I’ve ever experienced. For the most part, I stayed calm but I lost it there for a while when I couldn’t feel my legs. A sense of hopelessness started to take over, I didn’t think anybody would get me.”
While the death toll currently is at 50, People reports that Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said at a news conference Saturday morning that he expects the number to increase:
“It’s devastating. Multiple tornadoes have touched down, and we have damage in, I believe, over a dozen Kentucky counties. We have deaths in multiple, possibly many, counties. We believe our death toll from this event will exceed 50 Kentuckians, probably end up closer to 70 to 100 lost lives. This is one of the toughest nights in Kentucky history. We will make it through this. We will rebuild.”
Beshear also declared a state of emergency and activated 181 guardsmen from the National Guard. In a social media post, the politician also tweeted out a letter to President Joe Biden to ask for “an immediate federal emergency declaration.” To which, he then issued his own statement on Twitter following the tragedy:
“This morning, I was briefed on the devastating tornadoes across the central U.S. To lose a loved one in a storm like this is an unimaginable tragedy. We’re working with Governors to ensure they have what they need as the search for survivors and damage assessments continue.”
KMOV-TV reports that at least one person reportedly died inside the Amazon warehouse in Edwardsville, Illinois, after the roof of the building collapsed. Nearly 100 workers became trapped during the violent storm, as well. In Tennessee, at least three deaths have been attributed to the weather. According to The Associated Press, one person was killed, five people were severely injured, and almost 20 were trapped at the Monette Manor nursing home in Arkansas. All were accounted for by Saturday morning.
Our hearts go out to everyone impact by this devastating situation.
[Image via MSNBC/YouTube]
