Emergency workers search for the remains of the Mayfield Consumer Products Candle Factory after it was destroyed by a tornado in Mayfield, Kentucky, on December 11, 2021.
John Amis | AFP | beautiful pictures
The death toll in Kentucky is 74 after a series of devastating tornadoes hit the state on Friday. At a news conference on Tuesday afternoon, Governor Andy Beshear told reporters that the death toll had not increased since Monday.
“If there’s good news, it’s that our death toll hasn’t increased since yesterday,” the governor said.
He added that the ages of those killed ranged from two months old to 98 years old.
Beshear told reporters on Tuesday that there are still at least 100 people and probably many more who are still unknown.
“With this amount of damage and wreckage, it could take a week, maybe even more, before we have a final figure,” he said.
President Joe Biden is planning to visit the state on Wednesday. “It’s just devastating,” the president said Monday of the damage in Kentucky and six surrounding states. On Sunday, he announced a Great federal disaster in the state, unlock federal aid and resources.
Charlene Stanley of Central City, Kentucky holds her dog Gus as they search for debris that was once the home of the bride’s sister-in-law after a tornado in Bremen, Kentucky, U.S. December 12, 2021.
Minh Connors | USA TODAY Network | Reuters
More than 1,000 homes in Kentucky were destroyed by the tornadoes, and as of Tuesday, about 24,000 businesses and homes remained. lack of strength.
More than 560 National Guardsmen supported rescue and debris clearance operations in the state on Tuesday, and Beshear said he still doesn’t know the extent or cost of the damage.
“I don’t have an estimate of the damage yet, but at least hundreds of millions of dollars,” Beshear said Monday.
The President also approved federal aid for Tennessee to supplement local efforts for damage assessment and remediation. Four people died from tornadoes in that state.
Many on Monday cited the unprecedented nature of tornadoes – both their severity and the fact that they occur at the end of the year – with some blaming climate change as the cause. cause unexpected weather events.. Beshear told reporters that four tornadoes formed in Kentucky alone and one tornado descended more than 200 miles, destroying almost everything in its path.
A local resident carrying an American flag walks past a pile of debris outside a post office in the aftermath of a tornado in Mayfield, Kentucky, U.S. December 12, 2021.
Andrew Latif | Reuters
“We can’t say for sure that it’s climate change,” Biden told reporters in the Oval Office on Monday.
“What is certain,” he added, “[Is] It was one of the worst tornado disasters we’ve had in the country. And, the second thing is definitely not normal. It’s unusual how it happened, how many places it hit and the length of the road. “
