Kentucky Left in Ruins After Tornado
Rubi Orellana
The midnight tornado that ripped through Mayfield, Kentucky left a community in sadness and ruins, crushing a candle business with over 100 people inside, demolishing a fire station, and cutting out power and water for miles.
During an emotional news conference late Saturday morning, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear fought back tears as he and local authorities attempted to describe the scale of the destruction they had observed in the village of about 10,000 people in Kentucky's southwest region. Beshear had assessed the extent of the damage nationwide by Saturday afternoon, from downtown Mayfield, which had been "totally decimated," to Bowling Green, 150 miles to the east-northeast.
At least four tornadoes struck the state according to reports. Beshear predicted that the death toll would be in the upper double digits, including fatalities from several counties. Crews at the candle factory site had to “at times, crawl over casualties to get to live victims to get them out, and document those casualties as we make our way through the rubble," said Jeremy Creason, Mayfield's fire chief, and EMS director.
Local officials reported that the community's primary fire station and the town's fleet of police cars, and a police station were damaged by the storm. According to Creason, the surrounding municipalities were providing assistance, including 11 ambulances to assist with rescue and recovery at the facility and throughout the county.
According to Graves County Judge-Executive Jesse Perry, the county was without water and power went out for miles around Mayfield. Beshear said the state had deployed 150 coroners as part of a mass fatality team that would include personal protective equipment, body bags, batteries, and refrigerated trailers, among other things. This is "the most damaging tornado catastrophe in our state's history," Beshear said.
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