The US has been hit by dozens of tornadoes. They caused huge damage, at least 70 people are reported – HNonline.sk

The tornadoes that hit the central United States have killed at least 70 people in the state of Kentucky alone. This was stated today by Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear.

He also expressed concern that the number of victims could climb to more than a hundred. US President Joe Biden called the deaths caused by the hurricane “an unimaginable tragedy”.

According to CNN the United States has hit at least 30 tornadoes.

The victims also reported authorities in the states of Arkansas, Missouri and Tennessee, and the fall of the roof of one of Amazon’s warehouses in Illinois did not go unnoticed.

“We believe that the balance of victims of this event will exceed 50 dead, but it will probably be 70 to 100 lives lost,” Beshear told reporters at the morning briefing.

The most devastating tornado in Kentucky history

According to him, the Kentucky storm caused the most devastating tornado in the history of the state. The strongest wind vortex traveled at least 365 kilometers.

“The news is really heartbreaking. It was one of the scariest nights in Kentucky history, and some areas have been destroyed in a way that can’t be described in words.” said the governor, who declared a state of emergency and mobilized the National Guard.

The city of Mayfield reports drastic damage. By the time the tornado hit, there were about 110 people in the candle factory. The element destroyed the building and removed the roof, according to the governor, there are fears that there are dozens dead on the scene.

Videos and photos posted on social networks show a picture of total destruction. Of some buildings in Mayfield, only piles of rubble remained, and many ruined cars flooded with rubble could be seen on the streets.

The tornado in southwest Kentucky was one of many observed tonight in parts of the American South and Midwest. According to CNN, at least 24 wind vortexes have been recorded in five states.

There are 250,000 households without electricity

As a result, more than 250,000 households are now without power supplies, according to the PowerOutage server. The danger was still gone, with the storm system stretching from Louisiana to Ohio moving eastward and bringing heavy snow to the Great Lakes region.

Another tornado hit the village of Monette in northeastern Arkansas at night, destroying, among other things, a nursing home.

The facility had a capacity of about 90 beds and at the time 20 people were imprisoned in the wreckage. Mayor Bob Blankenship told CNN that at least two people had died in Tornado as a result of the tornado.

A woman died in a nearby village of Leachville who did not manage to escape from the supermarket after the storm, the local sheriff told CNN.

Other deaths were recorded in connection with the collapse of the building east of St. Louis, Missouri, writes AP. The Tennessee Crisis Bureau subsequently reported three deaths due to extreme weather.

Amazon also reported problems

Dozens of ambulances came to the Amazon warehouse in Edwardsville, Illinois, after one of the walls of the building, about the length of a football field, collapsed and the roof of the building collapsed.

It was not immediately clear how many people were inside when the warehouse was hit by a severe storm or tornado. According to local police chief Mike Fillback, rescuers have already found two dead on the spot and are still searching the wreckage.

According to CNN, a warning of strong storms in the area of ​​about 55 million Americans lived tonight. The highest level of alert applied to parts of the states of Arkansas, Tennessee, Missouri, Kentucky and Illinois.

Wind whirlpools are considered especially dangerous when they come at night. “According to statistics, twice as many people die in night tornadoes than in day tornadoes,” said meteorologist Dave Hennen. Night tornadoes are more common in Arkansas, Tennessee and Kentucky.