Kentucky District Judge Brian Crick (married father of three) was killed in the storm.
One judge, and one three-year old boy were among those who lost their lives in the historic tornado that struck Kentucky. It has devastated communities across Kentucky.
Kentucky’s confirmed death toll is higher than any tornado that struck the state at this time at 80. The multi-state total toll stands at 94. This number will rise in recovery efforts.
On Friday night, the twisters which caused destruction and death in six states sent a family photograph flying over 150 miles. They also derail an east Kentucky freight train that was being transported by the storm.
On Sunday, the sun rose and the survivors who had been ravaged by storms huddled in close-freezing temperatures without electricity, shell-shocked by what was happening.
Kentucky District Judge Brian Crick (married father of three) was one of those who were killed in the storm. The commonwealth’s Supreme Court chief judge confirmed this.
The epicenter of the destruction was the town of Mayfield, a town of about 10,000 people in the far western part of Kentucky, where the Bluegrass State borders Illinois, Missouri and Tennessee .
Mayfield resident Angela Wheeler told WLWT-TV how she and her husband escaped through a window as their home came off its foundation, only to find their neighbors screaming for help after their three-year-old son was killed.
Kentucky has confirmed the deaths of more than 80 people, most of whom were workers in Mayfield’s candle factory. Governor Andy Beshear raised the death toll by 10 Sunday morning.
The previous record for Kentucky’s deadliest tornado was broken by it. It had been set in 1890 in Louisville, where a twister claimed the lives of 76. According to National Weather Service records, this new record is now obsolete.
‘[The death toll]More than 100 people will be affected. CNN has just witnessed the most severe tornadoes ever recorded. Beshear said that the Dawson Springs list of missing people is 8 pages in length, with one-spaced.
‘I’ve got towns that are gone – that are just, I mean, gone,’ he said. You go door to door looking for people, and you find out if they are okay. There are no doors. There are no doors. I mean, it’s devastating.’
On Sunday, people embrace as severe thunderstorms cause tornado damage in Mayfield Kentucky. More than 80 people died Saturday.
Mayfield Consumer Products candle factory was the scene of a rescue operation Sunday morning. Rescuers described crawling across the corpses of deceased workers to find survivors. Only 40 of 110 workers were found alive.
A freight train was stalled in Earlington Kentucky by strong winds. The heavy vehicles were tossed around like children’s toys.
Dena Ausdorn looks at her house that was destroyed by a tornado in Dawson Springs, Kentucky. Ausdorn lived in the home for 28 years. She lost two of her pets and one was paralysed by the tornado.
A chair sat in an uninhabitable home on Sunday morning is covered by frost. Storm survivors were left stranded overnight in freezing temperatures, without electricity.
After tornadoes decimated several states, a tank is seen sitting in an area that was heavily damaged near a Dawson Springs American Legion Post. It’s covered with frost as it dawns on Sunday.
Following extreme weather on Friday, Mayfield is seeing tornado damage Sunday. Five states in the USA were hit by dozens upon dozens of destructive tornadoes overnight. More than 80 people died.
Jody O’Neill was consoled by Irene Noltner Saturday at The Lighthouse. This shelter houses women and children. It was also destroyed in a tornado that ravaged much of Mayfield’s downtown, Kentucky.
This is the Mayfield courthouse before and after the strong storm that ripped down the clock tower, second floor and other structures.
A single twister created a track unlike any other, when a stormfront tore apart a candle factory and a nursing home, crushing a nursing facility, and plunging an Amazon distribution centre.
Beshear claimed that one tornado was present for 227 miles. 200 tornadoes were located in Kentucky. That would be a break of the 219 mile global record.
Six people were killed in Illinois when an Amazon facility was attacked; there are four others in Tennessee, two in Arkansas and one in Missouri.
Many people in Kentucky were without water, power or a roof and worked tirelessly on Sunday to save what little they could from towns nearly destroyed.
Timothy McDill (48), a technician in refrigeration, fell asleep Saturday night in Mayfield without power or water. His parents purchased the house in 1992.
Telephone poles had entered through windows. The brick exterior of the brick was removed, leaving rooms unfinished.
On the night of storm, he tied himself and his wife to his drainpipe at their basement with flagpole rope. He waited to see if it was over.
“They were troopers. McDill stated that the children didn’t cry as much. McDill said that it was only her and me who were crying the most. It was scary that the kids would be taken away. They don’t even think about it.
Steve Wright (61), was nervous about running out of gas as he drove around searching for it. His apartment complex, which he had lived in Mayfield for four years was mostly spared.
He took out a flashlight to start walking through the streets looking for anyone trapped after the storm passed. He helped a father rescue his 3-year-old son from the debris.
It was horrible. It was terrible. He said that he helped remove a baby from the ground, pointing to debris of a former two-story home. He said, “I did everything I could to help them.”
Timothy McDill (48), weeps as he describes the experience of being able to survive the tornado that struck Mayfield, Kentucky.
McDill continues to stay in his house to guard it against looters. He stands in his living area while looking at the destruction and debris Sunday morning.
McDill tied his family (above), his wife, and two of his grandkids, ages 14 and 12, and their Chihuahuas to the drainpipe at their basement with a flagpole rope. He waited for the storm to pass.
One of the windows was broken by the telephone pole, and bricks were ripped away. This left entire rooms open.
Bogdan Gaicki examines the tornado damage sustained Sunday by Mayfield, Kentucky, after the worst storm ever recorded in Kentucky. More than 80 people were killed in this severe weather event.
Many Kentuckyans were without electricity, water, or a roof to protect their heads on Sunday as they tried to save what little they could from towns nearly destroyed.
As survivors sorted through the rubble, people walked amongst tornado damage in Mayfield Kentucky.
Putin offers his sincere condolences to Biden
Putin sent his condolences Sunday to Joe Biden, the US counterpart after the tragic tornadoes.
Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, offered condolences Sunday to Joe Biden for his enduring loss.
Russia is there to support those who are grieving the loss of loved ones due to this catastrophe. According to reports from the Kremlin Putin, Putin spoke in a Telegram to Biden, stating that Russia hopes the victims recover quickly and will overcome any repercussions of the catastrophe.
As tensions between Moscow, the West and Moscow escalate, the Group of Seven has warned Russia to “de-escalate its military buildup at the Ukrainian border” and declared that an invasion could have’massive consequence’.
On Sunday, Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a telegram to Joe Biden in which he expressed his condolences despite growing tensions regarding the Russian military buildup near the Ukrainian border.
Some blame climate change for the historic storm, such as Deanne Criswell (FEMA Administrator) and Biden.
Criswell said that climate change is causing a crisis in our time. Criswell made the statement to CNN this Sunday. “This will be our new norm.”
The tornado’s outbreak was driven by hot weather caused by La Nina patterns, however, the question of whether climate change has any impact on this phenomenon is still open to debate, meteorologists claim.
110 workers at a Mayfield candle factory were asleep Friday night when the storm struck, and only 40 were saved alive.
Jeremy Creason (the city’s fire chief, EMS director) said that sometimes they had to crawl over the casualties in order to reach live victims.
The hopes of finding survivors seem to be fading rapidly.
CNN’s Beshear said that he prayed for the miracle. “It would make a miracle.” He acknowledged that no survivors had been discovered since the hurricane hit just a few hours later.
Rescue workers are desperately looking for the wreckage of the factory since Friday night. There is a lot of sheet metal and fallen girders piled high.
Their actions include removing bodies and moving slowly through wreckage using heavy equipment. To find any person still buried, specially trained dogs will sniff through the rubble.
Factory owner Mayfield Consumer Products was a major employer in the town of 10,000. The family-owned, 1998 founded business had been recently hiring — rare in America where smaller companies are losing out to larger international manufacturers.
Troy Propes, CEO of the company, stated that the Mayfield facility in Kentucky was damaged by a tornado on December 10, 2021. He also said that employees had been killed or injured.
“Our employees are loved by many, including those who have been with us for years.
They also had trusted local prisoners working in their factories. The factory was able to operate in shifts throughout the day in order to satisfy high holiday demand.
A worker searching for survivors on Sunday at Mayfield in Kentucky is shown in this aerial photo.
A general view of damage and debris in Mayfield, Kentucky after a devastating outbreak of tornadoes ripped through
A general view of a hallway inside a nursing home in Mayfield, Kentucky is seen Sunday after a tornado strike
A heavily damaged area in Dawson Springs, Kentucky is littered with debris and houses that were destroyed.
After Sunday’s tornado, the remains of Dawson Springs Primitive Christian Church were destroyed. The track of a monstrous tornado that ripped through middle America on Friday was as long as any other record.
After the worst tornado ever recorded in Kentucky, decimated houses can be seen in Mayfield on Sunday.
Western Kentucky University previously stated that a student was killed. They have since amended that statement to say that the death of a relative had occurred.
School’s Saturday graduation ceremony has been cancelled. The school also still doesn’t have electricity due to widespread power shortages.
Six people died in Edwardsville’s collapse of Amazon Warehouse. A second injured worker was flown to hospital by fire chief James Whiteford.
Whiteford reported that 45 of the victims were found alive after investigators searched through the rubble for further victims throughout the day. Officials were not able to determine Saturday night if anyone had been missing because of the fact that workers were going through a shift switch when the tornado hit at about 8:30 PM Friday.
In a written statement, Richard Rocha, an Amazon spokesperson said that this was a terrible tragedy for the Amazon family. He also stated that they are focusing on helping our partners and employees.
One car flew 75 yards away from the tracks in Earlington, Kentucky, when powerful winds blew a freight train.
Earlington in Kentucky was hit by powerful winds that sent one vehicle flying 75 feet from the tracks.
After a severe tornado outbreak, people work on the Earlington scene.
After powerful winds knocked a freight train from the tracks, workers say that it will be a while before the tracks can be cleared.
Two cars were seen separating from the train at Highway 41. The train was tipped to the side.
“They said it sounds like an airplane.” Jesse Johnson from Earlington was in the middle of the tornado and told WFIE TV that it is worse than a train.
A family photo from the past was taken more than 150 miles by the twister before being recovered in its original state and returned to its owner.
Katie Posten of New Albany (Indiana) wrote on Facebook that while she was walking towards her car, she noticed the photo from 1940s sticking to her windshield.
Posten said that the tornado that hit Kentucky last night seemed to have moved just southwest. He also stated that the storm carried debris high into the sky, up to seven miles, which would indicate that the photo was taken from someone’s home.
Incredibly, thanks to the inscription on the back, Posten was able to reunite the photo with the Swatzell family in Dawson Springs, Kentucky.
Katie Posten from New Albany, Indiana found a photo of her family on her windshield. She was able 150-miles away to find the Kentucky family through an appeal on Facebook
This aerial view shows homes and businesses destroyed by a tornado that struck Mayfield, Kentucky, on Saturday. Multiple tornadoes were seen in the Midwest.
A tornado-ravaged Mayfield store was destroyed and people were able to retrieve their merchandise
Satellite images show shows homes and buildings in Mayfield before and after a devastating twister
This was an uncommon moment of hope in midst of so many stories of disaster, especially Mayfield where whole blocks had been flattened and houses and buildings were ripped apart. Bricks, metal and shattered tree branches scattered all over the streets.
The tornadoes also destroyed the clock tower of the city’s courthouse. This historic landmark was built in 1903.
Janet Kimp (66) and Michael Kimp (25) survived by staying in the hallway. This was the last part of their house that the roof or walls didn’t fall down.
Kimp stated that her house was set on fire years ago. She then filed for bankruptcy due to the death of her husband.
Kimp heard herself muttering, “I’ve lost everything again,” as she stood amid the wreckage of her living room. Furniture was broken and trash littered the floor. The night was spent at Mayfield’s daughter, who was unaffected.
Robert Bowlin (a war veteran) and Christopher Bowlin (24) were cooking eggs over a campfire just outside their house. The wood they used was from a fallen tree, and narrowly avoided their home.
Andy Beshear of Kentucky stated that at the midday briefing on Saturday, the death rate was now north of 70 and may rise to over 100 by Sunday.
He said, “This will be, i believe, the most deadly tornado system ever to run through Kentucky,” he continued. “It’s indescribable.” This is the most devastating scene I’ve ever witnessed.
General view showing the destruction and debris following a severe tornado outbreak that decimated several U.S. States, taken in Mayfield (Kentucky) on Sunday
The aftermath of tornadoes in Mayfield, Kentucky. Emmanuel Baptist Church can be seen on Saturday morning.
The damage caused by tornadoes is seen from the perspective of a resident at The Cardinal Inn in Bowling Green.
After a tornado ripped through Edwardsville in Illinois, at least two people died and several others were left trapped by a partially collapsed roof of this Amazon warehouse.
Victor Gensini of Northern Illinois University is an extreme weather researcher and said that if early reports confirm, then the twister “will likely go down maybe as one the longest track violent tornadoes ever recorded in the United States,”
In March 1925, the longest known tornado was tracked over 220 miles across Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana. Gensini claimed that the twister could have traveled nearly 250 miles. This storm, which occurred during December is unusual because normally, tornadoes can only be formed in colder months, Gensini said.
Mayfield was a town of approximately 10,000 people in western Kentucky. It had debris from the destruction of buildings and tree limbs. The streets were lined with metal sheeting, downed electricity lines, and cars that were damaged. Buildings that still had windows or roofs were torn down.
Janine Denise Williams, 50 year-old mother of four and a member of her family, was one among the missing at candle factory. Family members kept watch on Saturday.
‘It´s Christmastime and she works at a place that´s making candles for gifts,’ her brother, Darryl Williams, said. “To sacrifice the gift of life for the sake of making a gift. We haven´t heard anything, and I´m not presuming anything. But I´m expecting for the worst.’
Johnson Williams called her husband over night to inform him that the weather was becoming severe. That’s the last she heard from anyone.
Mayfield Consumer Products candle factory, Mayfield. Rescue crews worked through the night.
On Saturday, emergency response personnel worked in Mayfield to clear the debris from the Mayfield Consumer Products candle plant. Only 40 of 110 factory workers were rescued alive.
A tornado victim was transported by emergency personnel to the Mayfield Consumer Products Candle Factory.
Kyanna Parsons Perez was an employee in the factory. She was under five feet of debris for two hours, before rescuers finally freed her.
She spoke out about the experience in an interview on NBC’s NBC Today. “I didn’t think that I would make it.”
Just before the tornado struck, the building´s lights flickered. The wind blew her hair, and she felt her ears pop. All of it fell on us. The people began to scream, and the woman heard others praying.
Sarah Burgess, Kentucky State Trooper said that rescue teams used heavy equipment to remove rubble from the candle factory. Coroners were called to the scene and bodies were recovered, but she didn´t know how many.
Rescue efforts were complicated because Mayfield´s main fire station and emergency services hub were also hit by the tornado, Creason said.
Vernon Evans stated that he ran to firefighters to rescue residents from a Mayfield nursing home wall collapsed. One resident was found dead under a few inches water.
He stated, “All that I could do was to sit down and raise their heads,” “I have never seen anything like it.”
Joe Biden, the President of the United States, approved Saturday’s emergency declaration for Kentucky. He also pledged support to affected states.
Biden stated, “I swear you that whatever is required – whatever it is necessary – the federal government will find a means to provide it,”
The Commonwealth of Kentucky has established a tornado relief fund to directly assist those impacted by the storm system, donations can be made at: TeamWKYReliefFund.ky.gov