US: Biden vows help for states hit by devastating tornadoes

US President Joe Biden on Saturday authorized federal aid for Kentucky after at least 70 people died when devastating tornadoes tore through five US states late Friday night.

The US National Weather Service had issued tornado warnings, the highest level of alert, on Friday night for areas in several states including Arkansas, Tennessee, Missouri and Illinois.

Biden laments tornado ‘tragedy’

US President Joe Biden said it was “one of the largest tornado outbreaks in our history.”

Biden approved an emergency declaration for Kentucky, the White House said.

“It’s a tragedy. And we still don’t know how many lives are lost and the full extent of the damage,” he said on television. He promised federal aid to the five states hit by the natural disaster.

Biden said the affected states would “have what they need as the search for survivors and damage assessments continue.”

He said he would be asking the Environmental Protection Agency to investigate whether climate change contributed to the extreme weather.

Biden also questioned tornado warning systems.

“What warning was there? And was it strong enough and was it heeded?” he asked.

‘Unlike anything I have ever seen’

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said Saturday that the collection of tornadoes was the most destructive in the state’s history. 

“The level of devastation is unlike anything that I have ever seen… We were pretty sure that we would lose over 50 Kentuckians, I’m now certain that that number is north of 70. It may in fact end up exceeding 100 before the day is done,” Beshear told reporters.

According to Beshear, 189 National Guard personnel have been deployed to assist with the emergency response.

“This has been one of the toughest nights in Kentucky history and some areas have been hit in ways that is hard to put into words,” he said. 

The governor said he had declared a state of emergency.

Dozens of factory workers missing

In Kentucky’s western town of Mayfield, some 110 people were inside a candle factory when the tornado struck, taking down the roof, Beshear said. So far, 40 of them have been rescued, he added. 

Mayfield Fire Chief Jeremy Creason, whose own station was destroyed, said the candle factory was diminished to a “pile of bent metal and steel and machinery” and that responders had to at times “crawl over casualties to get to live victims.”

Emergency teams were using heavy machinery to remove rubble at the factory, said Kentucky State Trooper Sarah Burgess, adding it could take a day or more.

Coroners were on the scene to recover bodies, but she did not know how many they had found.

Amazon warehouse partially collapses

In Edwardsville, Illinois, the tornado hit a warehouse of online retail giant Amazon, reducing a third of the structure to rubble. The roof of the structure was ripped off and one of its walls collapsed. At least two workers were confirmed dead. 

The roof of an Amazon warehouse in Illinois collapsed after being hit by a tornado

Rescue workers were rushing through the early hours of Saturday to rescue employees who were working the night shift when the tornado hit. 

Local authorities described the warehouse collapse as a “mass casualty incident” with “multiple subjects trapped.”

“This is a devastating tragedy for our Amazon family and our focus is on supporting our employees and partners,” Amazon spokesperson Richard Rocha said in a statement.

Meanwhile in Tennessee, the severe weather has killed at least three people, the Washington Post quoted a spokesman for the state’s Emergency Management Agency as saying. 

mvb,jcg/fb (AP, Reuters)

Article source: https://www.dw.com/en/us-biden-vows-help-for-states-hit-by-devastating-tornadoes/a-60088950?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf