AP-US-MIDWEST-TORNADOES
Tornado toll in dozens, yet not as high as initially feared
MAYFIELD, Ky. (AP) — Dozens of people in five states have been killed by tornadoes that leveled entire communities on Friday night, but the toll at a Kentucky candle factory is not as devastating as initially feared. Officials initially said only 40 of 110 workers at Mayfield Consumer Products had been rescued. But spokesman Bob Ferguson now says eight people are confirmed dead, eight are missing and more than 90 people have been located. Still, the governor expects the statewide toll to reach at least 50, and at least 14 people are dead in four other states: Illinois, Tennessee, Arkansas and Missouri.
MIDWEST TORNADOES-A TOWN DEVASTATED
“Y’all pray for Mayfield”: Town grieves in tornado aftermath
MAYFIELD, Ky. (AP) — In Mayfield, Kentucky, survivors of one of the devastating tornadoes that cut a long path of destruction through the Midwest and South are grappling with ruins all around them. Mayfield has 10,000 residents, and it was one of the worst-hit towns in the unusual mid-December spate of twisters. Hundreds of buildings were reduced to nothing. Streets are littered with snapped trees, clothes, chunks of insulation and blown-away Christmas decorations. The fire station is inoperable, most police cars destroyed. At least eight people working at a candle factory were killed. Eight more are missing. It’s still unclear how many in Mayfield died. Residents say they can’t recognize their town. Some are optimistic for recovery. Others say the town may never bounce back.
MIDWEST TORNADOES-SURVIVOR
Tornado survivor: ‘Not knowing is worse than knowing’
MAYFIELD, Ky. (AP) — Autumn Kirks and her boyfriend, Lannis Ward, were both working the night shift at a candle factory in Mayfield, Kentucky, when a massive tornado struck. Then her boyfriend went missing — and all she could do was wait. Early Sunday, Kirks stood outside His House Ministries in Mayfield, where people have been told to go to wait for word about the missing. In the aftermath of the tornado that roared through the western Kentucky darkness early Saturday morning, the chances for good news seemed to diminish by the hour. Later in the day, Kirks learned that Ward didn’t make it, joining the dozens of people across five states who were killed by the storm.
TORNADO-CANDLE FACTORY
Planning questions emerge at tornado-destroyed candle plant
MAYFIELD, Ky. (AP) — The Mayfield Consumer Products factory was the third-biggest employer in this corner of western Kentucky, an important economic engine that churned out candles that lined the shelves of malls around the U.S. But why its Friday night-shift workers kept making candles as a ferocious tornado bore down on the region remains unknown as rescuers continue scouring the wreckage of the plant for signs of life. Kentucky’s governor said Sunday the ferocity of the storm was so great that there was nowhere safe to hide inside the plant.
AP-US-MIDWEST-TORNADOES-VICTIMS
Judge, grandma, outdoorsman among those killed by twisters
MAYFIELD, Ky. (AP) — Among the dozens of people killed by twisters that ripped through the Midwest and South were an Amazon worker who was an avid outdoorsman, a “typical” grandma and a judge. They were killed during Friday night’s tornadoes that left a trail of destruction through Arkansas, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri and Tennessee. The numbers are expected to rise. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear has warned that his state’s death toll alone could exceed 100. Experts say one of the twisters likely broke a nearly 100-year-old record for how long a tornado stayed on the ground in a path of destruction.
AP-US-MIDWEST-TORNADOES-HUMAN-TOLL
In storm’s aftermath, Kentucky residents struggle with loss
MAYFIELD, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky residents affected by a monstrous twister are grappling with its force and destruction and sharing harrowing stories of survival. Gov. Andy Beshear says the number of deaths from Friday night’s tornado could exceed 100 across numerous counties. In the town of Mayfield, residents helped rescuers search for victims. Others awaited word on those who were missing. Jarred Holmes was supposed to have been working inside a candle factory when it was destroyed by the twister. But he says his fiancee had insisted he stay home Friday night because of the looming weather, possibly saving his life.
