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Kentucky tornado: In one town, many tornado survivors were left with only their clothes on


Mayor Chris Smiley said about 75% of the area of ​​one town, Dawson Springs in western Kentucky, was wiped out by the tornado. About a third of the town’s 2,500 population lives below the poverty line and many are uninsured.

Nick Bailey, the county’s director of emergency management, said people whose homes are still in could be without power for up to a month.

“Our morale is down right now, but we’ll be back,” said Hopkins County journalist Dennis Mayfield, who reported Sunday that the death toll in Dawson Springs alone was 13.

Overall, at least 88 people were killed in the fierce storms that swept through parts of the Midwest and South late Friday through Saturday, including at least 74 in Kentucky, according to Governor Andy Beshear . In total, at least 50 tornadoes were reported across eight states.

“When this tornado hit, it didn’t just take off a roof, that’s what we’ve seen in the past,” Beshear said. “It blew up the whole house. People, animals, the rest – just disappeared.”

Damage is not only to buildings. Kentucky Emergency Management Director Michael Dossett told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer that several major transmission towers have been destroyed and it will take weeks to months to replace them.

The destruction was very indiscriminate. It is difficult to measure the long-term impact.

Senator Whitney Westerfield of Kentucky said: “For some people, I don’t know that they will fully recover from this, certainly not emotionally or psychologically. “Houses and buildings can be rebuilt in time, but this is the kind of thing that lasts for communities and families,” he told CNN on Monday.

‘We were flying in the air’

Breeana Glisson, a mother in Dawson Springs hugged her two young children as their house was ripped apart by the wind screaming: “I’m fine. “Like, one minute I’m sitting here and I’m smiling and one minute I’m rolling my eyes,” Glisson told CNN.

Glisson suffered a broken arm, a wounded head and a bruised face. Her house was destroyed. But she is still alive, and her children are miraculously uninjured.

“It’s crazy. I can’t believe that me and my kids are okay,” Glisson told CNN’s Ed Lavandera, standing amid the concrete and wooden wreckage of her completely devastated neighborhood. “I can’t believe there are no broken bones on my kids. That’s crazy.”

Glisson said she and her children are “extremely lucky to be alive because we were able to fly through the air. And … our neighbors passed away right next to us.”

Those neighbors were sisters Marsha Hall, 72, and Carole Grisham, 80. They took shelter in a corridor during the tornado, but were found dead nearly 12 hours later amid rubble a few houses away.

“Everybody thinks their world,” Jason Cummins, Hall’s son, said with tears in his eyes. “They are the sweetest, kindest people who always think of others before themselves.”

How can you help tornado victims?

“My kids love them,” Glisson said of the sisters. “We talked to them every day.”

Currently, Glisson, her children and her mother are living in a hotel room with a few donated items of clothes, blankets and food. But they don’t know where they’re going next.

The Red Cross has opened shelters for those who have lost their homes and several parks in Kentucky have been opened to help families.

The Team Western Kentucky Tornado Relief Fund are also raising funds to help with the recovery. Beshear said more than $4 million was raised in just two days.

But more help is needed, Westerfield said.

“We still need to donate blood and can still use donations” for the Team Western Kentucky Tornado Relief Fund, Westerfield said. “I encourage you, (if) you have a spare room this Christmas, to give it to western Kentucky.”

The First Lady of Kentucky, Brother Beshear, announced toy drive for children in the state. “They’ve lost everything, including their home and maybe even someone they loved,” she said. “With your help, we can make this season a little easier for those who are hurting by giving away toys, books or gift cards to bring them hope and joy. during holidays.”

‘I rely on my family to hopefully protect them’

In Mayfield, about 72 miles southwest of Dawson Springs, First Baptist Church Father Wes Fowler said he and his family went to church when they heard the bad weather because they thought it was the safest place.

The family took shelter in a tunnel connecting the two church buildings.

“The ceiling tiles started shaking and shifting and dust started to fill the room, and debris started to fill up. And we were leaning against the wall,” Fowler told CNN’s Anderson Cooper. “I rely on my family to hopefully protect them.”

Tornado death toll rises to 74 in Kentucky

Fowler said he and his wife tried to comfort the children during its worst time, but “it was a very difficult time.”

“We told the kids everything was going to be okay, everything was going to be okay. In our minds we thought we weren’t sure we were going to get through this,” he said.

The challenge only lasted about a minute, but it seemed much longer, Fowler said. When it was all over, he took the flashlight outside but didn’t realize the scene before him.

“I’m very confused. Born and raised here, I know this town well, but it’s not the same, like the landscape is not the same,” he said.

Fowler said his church was damaged, but could be saved. The crucifix above the entrance is still standing now, although the glass surrounding it has shattered.

About 130 miles east, in Bowling Green, Kentucky, officials said they had investigated 136 missing people reported after the tornadoes and as of Monday, 13 people were still missing, according to the Sheriff’s Michael Delaney. The death toll in Warren County, where Bowling Green is located, is 15, according to the coroner’s office.

Family confirms their 2-month-old baby's death as Kentucky tornado death toll soars

Frank Winthrow Jr and his wife, Vickie Boards-Winthrow were among those who lost their homes in Bowling Green.

Winthrow said as the storm was getting worse, he looked up and saw his roof was starting to come off.

“It’s like hearing a train, closing fast… and before you know it, the door, the wall, has come in.”

Boards-Winthrow said she took shelter in the tub with nothing but a pillow and phone. “Things just started coming in. I felt a vibration. It was scary, really scary. Everything started pouring in on me,” she said.

Standing in what’s left of their home, the couple said they’ve lost a lot but are grateful to still be alive.

“Every time I look in here and then out, I think about other people who didn’t make it,” says Boards-Winthrow, adding that she asked herself Why do they survive and others do not. “I guess I’m on purpose… just heartbreaking.”

8 people killed at candle factory, officials say

Eight of those killed in Mayfield were working at Mayfield consumer products factory, according to Indianapolis Fire Department Superintendent Tom Neal, who led the search and rescue team deployed to the facility.

Dan Tri, James Comer, who represents the area, told CNN the factory was “open 24/7” in part to meet demand for Christmas candles.

Candle factory was & # 39;  go into operation 24/7 & # 39;  to meet Christmas needs.  Then the storm came

During the storm, a tornado leveled the building, trapping many employees under debris several meters thick, but authorities now believe no one is left in the rubble.

In Illinois, at least six people died when Amazon Warehouse Police Chief James Whiteford said collapsed in Edwardsville after being hit by a tornado.

The Edwardsville Police Department said the six victims ranged in age from 26 to 62 years old.

Forty-five people were out of the building, with one person being airlifted to an area hospital for treatment, Edwardsville Fire Chief James Whiteford said at a news conference Saturday night.

Amazon Worldwide Consumer CEO Dave Clark said the company’s employees are saddened by the loss of lives at the facility and beyond.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their loved ones, and all those affected by the path of the hurricane across the United States. We are continuing to support the victims. our staff and partners in the region and across communities impacted by the storm. We also want to thank all of the first responders for their ongoing efforts on the scene.” , Clark said in a tweet.

Climate change could play some role in this weekend's deadly tornadoes.  The question is how.

In Arkansas, the storm hit a Dollar General store in Leachville and killed assistant manager June Pennington, Mississippi County spokesman Tom Henry said.

In the nearby city of Monette, at least one person was killed at a nursing home damaged by the tornado, Mayor Bob Blankenship said.

Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson said it was a “miracle” that only one person died at the nursing home.

He said: “When I got to that facility, it was as if the sky had sucked the roof of the house and everything inside.

“And it was just a miracle with 67 residents that we only lost one there. And it was thanks to the heroic efforts of the staff and also the fact that we had 20 minutes of warning. “

CNN’s Ashley Killough, Nick Valencia, Claudia Dominguez and Andy Rose contributed to this report.

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