The death toll rises to 88 after a series of tornadoes in the US

The number of people killed after a series of tornadoes in the United States rose to 88 on Tuesday (14). Violent storms hit parts of the Midwest and South of the country between last Friday (10) and Saturday (11). At least 74 deaths have taken place in the state of Kentucky, according to Gov. Andy Beshear.

At least 50 tornadoes were registered in eight states, and destruction was instantaneous. Many homes and businesses were hurled into the air after a wave of tornadoes across the US, but those who survived, many of whom were left with nothing but the clothes they wore, now face a difficult road to recovery.

About 75 percent of a city, Dawson Springs, in western Kentucky, was destroyed by a tornado, said Mayor Chris Smiley. About a third of the city’s 2,500 population lives below the poverty line and many are uninsured.

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

“Right now, our spirits are shaken, but we’ll be back,” said Hopkins County Coroner Dennis Mayfield, who reported the death toll of 13 in Dawson Springs just last Sunday.

“When this tornado hit, it didn’t just need a roof. [para nos proteger], which is what we’ve seen in the past,” Beshear said. “He blew up the entire house. People, animals, the rest, just disappeared.”

The damage wasn’t just to the buildings. Kentucky Director of Emergency Management Michael Dossett told Wolf Blitzer of CNN Spanish that several large transmission towers were destroyed and that it will take weeks or months to replace them.

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

“Some people, I don’t know if they will ever make a full recovery, and certainly not emotionally or psychologically,” said Kentucky State Senator Whitney Westerfield. “Houses and buildings can be rebuilt, but that’s the kind of thing that lasts a long time with the community and family”, he told the CNN on Monday (13).

“We fly through the air”

“I’m not fine”, he told the CNN Breeana Glisson, a mother from Dawson Springs who hugged her two young children when her home was swept away by the wind. “Like one minute I’m sitting here smiling and the next I’m crying.”

Glisson’s arm was broken, his head was bruised and his face bruised. Your house was destroyed. But she is alive, and her children were miraculously unharmed.

“It’s crazy. I can’t believe my kids and I are doing fine,” Glisson told Ed Laundress of CNN, amidst the rubble of concrete and wood of its completely devastated neighborhood. “I can’t believe my kids don’t have broken bones. It’s crazy.”

Glisson said she and her children are “very lucky to be alive because we flew through the air.” “Our neighbors died with us.”

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

“Everyone thought the best of them,” said Jason Cummins, Hall’s son, with tears in his eyes. “They were the sweetest, nicest people who always thought of others before themselves.”

“My kids loved it,” Glisson said of the sisters. “We talk to them every day.”

For now, Glisson, his children and their mother live in a hotel room with some clothes, blankets and donated 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 Kentucky state parks have opened to house families.

The Team Western Kentucky Tornado Relief Fund is also raising funds to aid the recovery. More than $4 million was donated in just two days, Beshear said. But more help is needed, said Westerfield.

“We still need blood donations and we can still use the donations” for Team Western Kentucky’s Tornado Relief Fund, said Westerfield. “I encourage you, (if) you have free space this Christmas, give it to West Kentucky.”

Kentucky First Lady Britainy Beshear has announced a children’s toy unit in the state. “They’ve lost everything, including their homes and maybe even someone they love,” he said. “With your help, we can make this season a little easier for those who are hurting by donating a toy, book or gift card to bring home some hope and joy during the holidays.”

“I placed myself above my family to protect them”

In Mayfield, about 115 miles (about 185 km) southwest of Dawson Springs, Reverend Wes Fowler of First Baptist Church said he and his family went to church when they heard the weather was getting worse because they thought it was the best place. hot.

The family took refuge in a tunnel that connects two of the church buildings.

“The ceiling tiles began to shake and move, dust began to fill the room and debris began to fill. And we hit the wall,” Fowler told Anderson Cooper of CNN. “I placed myself above my family to protect them with hope.”

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

“We told our kids that everything would be okay, that everything would be okay. In our minds, we thought we weren’t sure we were going to make progress,” he said.

The ordeal lasted only a minute, but it felt like a lot longer, Fowler said. When he finished, he came out with a flashlight, but he didn’t recognize the scene in front of him.

“I got confused. I was born and raised here, I know this city well, but it wasn’t the same, as if the landscape wasn’t the same”, he said.

Fowler said his church building was damaged but could likely be repaired. For now, the cross over the entrance is still standing, though the glass around it is broken.

About 200 kilometers east in Bowling Green, Kentucky, authorities said they had investigated 136 reports of people missing after the tornadoes and, as of Monday, 13 people were still missing, according to Police Chief Michael Delaney. The death toll in Warren County, where Bowling Green is located, is 15, according to the coroner’s office.

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

Winthrow said that as the storm got worse, he looked up and saw the roof of his house starting to peel.

“It was like hearing a train fast approaching, and before you knew it, the door, the wall, they collapsed.”

Boards-Winthrow said he took refuge in the bathtub with nothing but a pillow and his phone. “Everything started to fall apart. I felt the vibrations. It was scary, very scary. Everything started to fall on me,” he said.

Standing in what was left of their home, the couple said they had lost a lot but were grateful that they were still alive.

“Every time I look here and then I look outside, I think of the others who didn’t,” said Boards-Winthrow, adding that he wondered why they survived and others didn’t. “I think I have a purpose… it’s just heartbreaking.”

Eight dead at the candle factory, authorities say

Eight of the Mayfield dead were working at the Mayfield Consumer Products candle factory, according to Indianapolis Fire Division chief Tom Neal, who leads the search and rescue team dispatched to the facility.

The factory was “operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week” in part to meet demand for Christmas candles, US Rep. James Comer told CNN.

During the storms, a tornado hit the building, trapping many workers under several meters of rubble, but authorities are now confident that no one remains under the rubble.

In Illinois, at least six people died when an Amazon warehouse collapsed in Edwardsville after being hit by a tornado, fire chief James Whiteford said.

These six victims were between the ages of 26 and 62, said the Edwardsville Police Department.

Forty-five people made it out of the building, and one person was flown to a regional hospital for treatment, Edwardsville fire chief James Whiteford said at a Saturday night news conference.

Amazon Worldwide Consumer CEO Dave Clark said the company’s employees were saddened by the loss of life on and off the premises.

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims, their loved ones and everyone affected by the storm in the United States. We continue to support our employees and partners in the area and in all communities affected by the storm. Storms. We also want to thank all of the first responders for their continued efforts on the spot,” Clark said in a tweet.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is investigating the collapse, a spokesman told CNN.

“OSHA has had officers at the complex since Saturday, December 11, to provide assistance,” said Scott Allen, regional director of public affairs and media relations for the US Department of Labor, in an email on Thursday.

OSHA, which investigates all workplace fatalities and catastrophes, “has six months to complete its investigation, issue citations and propose monetary penalties if violations of workplace safety or health standards are found,” Allen added.

An Amazon spokesperson said in an email on Monday that the company is supporting OSHA’s efforts.

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

In the nearby town of Monette, at least one person died in a tornado-damaged nursing home, said Mayor Bob Blankenship.

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

“When I went to that installation, it was like the sky had absorbed the roof and all of its contents,” he said.

“And it’s just a miracle, with 67 residents, we’ve lost just one. And this is due to the heroic effort of the team and also the fact that we received a 20-minute notice.”

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

(*Translated text. Click here to read the original in Spanish)