There is a desperate search for survivors in six US states devastated by violent tornadoes. At least 94 people are said to have died.
Update from Monday, December 13th, 2021, 10.15 a.m.: In the USA, after a whole series of tornadoes passed through several states, the hope of finding more survivors is disappearing. On Sunday, authorities in the affected regions in the center and southeast of the country put the death toll at 94, but Andy Beshear, governor of the hard-hit state of Kentucky, said the sniffer dogs would likely find more bodies. He told CNN that at least 80 people died in his state, but that the number of deaths “will be more than 100” in the end.
“This is the deadliest tornado event we’ve ever had. I think it will be the longest and deadliest tornado event in US history, ”said Beshear. “There are cities that have disappeared, just gone. Half of my father’s hometown is no longer there. It’s hard to describe.”
Kentucky tornadoes: Death toll rises – Joe Biden calls it a “tragedy”
First report from Sunday, December 12th, 2021, 8:15 p.m .: Mayfield / Kentucky – In the USA, entire cities were destroyed by around 30 tornadoes last Friday (December 10th, 2021). Dozens of people are missing. US President Joe Biden declared a state of disaster in Kentucky, the hardest-hit state, according to the British news broadcaster BBC. At least 80 people have died in the state, including dozen in a candle factory, and the death toll is expected to rise to over 100, according to the BBC.
Forty people were rescued from the collapsed Mayfield candle factory, but 60 more are still missing. Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, who visited the scene, said it was unlikely there would be any more survivors. He said no one had been found alive since Saturday (December 11, 2021). “There are at least four meters of metal with cars on them, barrels with caustic chemicals that are there. It would be a miracle if you could find someone alive in it, ”he said.
Tornadoes in Kentucky: death toll increases “hourly”
An employee of the candle factory posted a video on Facebook that showed how she desperately called for help under the rubble: “We are trapped, please, get us help,” said Kyanna Parsons-Perez on the American news channel Broadcast on CNN – she was later rescued.
Ivy Williams, whose wife was on a night shift at the factory, was on the phone when the call dropped, he told the Washington Post. He said he hasn’t heard from her since. “I need people who will help me to find my wife and who will be honest with me and let me know as soon as possible,” he told the newspaper tearfully while waiting in front of a counseling center. Kentucky Lieutenant Governor Jacqueline Coleman told the BBC that the death toll was rising “every hour”. “Our emergency teams are still assessing the damage, knocking on doors and trying to contact people to see who is still alive.”
Kentucky tornadoes: “Most devastating storm damage I’ve ever seen”
Local Congressman James Comer, who works with rescue workers in the devastated town of Mayfield, said the tornado was the biggest there has been, according to the BBC: “It’s the most devastating storm damage I’ve seen in my entire life have. We’ve had tornadoes as long as this one, but never one the width of this tornado, ”said Comer.
In Edwardsville, Illinois, tornadoes collapsed an Amazon warehouse, killing six people. The police said that it was not yet known how many employees were missing. However, according to the BBC, 45 people were able to leave the building safely. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos said he is “heartbroken” and pledged his support to the community. Four people were killed in Tennessee, local authorities said. Two people were killed in Arkansas, one of them in a nursing home that had partially collapsed. One fatality has been confirmed in Missouri.
Tornadoes in Kentucky: Joe Biden speaks of “tragedy”
Joe Biden has signed a Federal Emergency Disaster Declaration, clearing funds for Kentucky. He called the loss of life caused by the tornadoes a “tragedy”. The intensity of the recent storms has sparked speculation about how far they have been affected by climate change, although Biden said the exact effects are not yet clear. “We all know that when the climate warms up, everything gets more intense,” he said.
The longest distance a tornado traveled in the United States was a 219 mile (352 km) long storm in Missouri in March 1925 that claimed 695 lives. It wasn’t until September that there were devastating flash floods in New York due to a hurricane. More than 40 people died. (abs / skr)
Headline list image: © Ryan C. Hermens / dpa
