An Elmo doll is seen atop a community memorial in a ravaged field Tuesday in Mayfield, Ky. Photos and videos show the town devastated by the tornado.
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An Elmo doll is seen atop a community memorial in a ravaged field Tuesday in Mayfield, Ky. Photos and videos show the town devastated by the tornado.
Brandon Bell / Getty Images
Teams in western Kentucky are digging through debris-laden mountains and searching for survivors and bodies after a tornado tore through 200 miles of the state Friday night into Saturday.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said on Tuesday that 74 people have been confirmed dead, while more than 100 remain. does not calculate for.
“I still hope we find at least some more bodies,” Beshear said. “There’s been a lot of destruction. I hope that’s not the case, but it’s still an expectation.”
Some were still able to cope with the injuries, like a baby the governor said was found alive and dead about a day later.
12 of the 74 people killed were children. The victims were identified between the ages of 2 months and 98 years.
Cleanup efforts continue. Images and video from the aftermath show the town of Mayfield completely destroyed, with buildings torn to pieces as far as the eye can see.
Beshear is about clearing debris and debris and death and getting it out of those areas that have something therapeutic.
The governor said they currently have enough volunteers, but those who want to help should give blood, because it is necessary to donate blood. Red Cross says it is facing the worst anemia nationwide in more than a decade. Kentucky Blood Center speak blood needs in western Kentucky hospitals were met, But donating is encouraged through holidays.
Volunteers prepare to help residents remove debris Tuesday in Mayfield, Ky.
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Volunteers prepare to help residents remove debris Tuesday in Mayfield, Ky.
Brandon Bell / Getty Images
The Mayfield Consumer Products candle factory, where 110 people were working the night shift, was devastated by the tornado. The company said eight employees have been confirmed dead, far below initial estimates, and that all others are alive. The governor said officials have yet to confirm the company’s count, but the dogs searching for bodies have so far made no further discoveries.
Meanwhile, thousands of people have been left homeless in the state. Emergency responders are working to provide food, water and shelter. There is no estimate on the number of homes destroyed, although the governor has guessed more than 1,000. At least 18,500 people are powerless across the state.
Relief Fund collected over 66,000 donations totaling over $9.89 million. “Little by little will be helping these families,” says Beshear.
Tornadoes also caused damage and deaths in parts of Illinois, Tennessee, Missouri and Arkansas over the weekend. At least 14 people have died across four states, including six at an Amazon warehouse in Edwardsville, Ill., just outside St. Louis. Officials of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration confirmed on monday that they will investigate the facility.
