Live updates: Death toll unchanged, candle factory workers accounted for.
Day four of recovery and cleanup from a deadly tornado storm in western Kentucky continues Tuesday.
As of Monday afternoon, 74 people are dead as a result of the storm, according to Gov. Andy Beshear. 21 of those deaths come from Graves County, where Mayfield was hard-hit and where eight people were killed inside a destroyed candle factory.
President Joe Biden has declared the emergency a major disaster, which opens up federal funds for those in need. Biden plans to visit Kentucky and those impacted by the tornadoes Wednesday.
Here are the latest updates and developments on the damage and effects of the storms.
Nearly $10 million raised by Team Western KY Relief Fund
12:15 p.m. — 66,829 donations have raised over $9.89 million for the Team Western KY Relief Fund, according to Gov. Andy Beshear.
Beshear said that money would be used solely for the victims and impacted citizens from the tornadoes.
Death toll stays put
12:00 p.m. — The death toll from a deadly tornado storm that struck Kentucky over the weekend stayed put at 74, according to Gov. Andy Beshear.
Over 100 people are still unaccounted for, per Beshear. Eight of the deceased have yet to be identified.
Beshear said the ages for the victims range from two months to 96 years old. 12 of the victims are children.
Victims from tornadoes slowly being identified
11:30 a.m. — Victims from the deadly Kentucky tornadoes over the weekend are slowly being identified.
The death toll from the storm currently sits at 74, but that number will likely rise as officials continue to comb through the wreckage left behind by the twisters.
Attorney General issues scam warning
10:55 a.m. — To combat scammers trying to take advantage of tornado victims, Attorney General Daniel Cameron issued a consumer alert on Tuesday, warning citizens of possible scams related to tornado relief efforts.
Anyone who believes a relief effort might not be real should report it at this link. Ronnie Ward, a public information officer with the Bowling Green Police Department, also said to be responsible and careful when choosing an organization to donate to.
NWS gives assessment for Cave City tornado
10:48 a.mm — National Weather Service-Louisville has determined the tornado that struck Cave City was an EF1 twister.
The strongest tornado that hit Warren County was an EF3, according to NWS.
All candle factory workers accounted for
6:30 a.m. — All 110 of the workers who were inside the Mayfield candle factory when it was hit by a violent tornado have been accounted for, according to WPSD Local6.
Eight people died at the candle factory, but the 102 others working inside when the tornado hit made it out alive, according to the report. The Kentucky National Guard confirmed the news Monday evening.
Federal assistance available for affected counties
6:30 a.m. — Residents of counties affected by the Kentucky tornadoes can now apply for FEMA disaster assistance.
Residents of Caldwell, Fulton, Graves, Hopkins, Marshall, Muhlenberg, Taylor and Warren counties can apply online at disasterassistance.gov, by calling 800-621-3362, or by using the FEMA mobile app. When you apply, you will need to provide:
- A current phone number where you can be contacted.
- Your address at the time of the disaster and the address where you are now staying.
- Your Social Security Number.
- A general list of damage and losses.
- Banking information if you choose direct deposit.
- If insured, the policy number or the agent and/or the company name.
People with homeowners or renter’s insurance must file a claim with their insurance company first before seeking federal aid. People will need to provide theirs insurance claim information to FEMA to determine eligibility for federal assistance.
Click this link for more information.
Over 23,000 still without power
6:30 a.m. — According to poweroutages.us, 23,743 people in Kentuckians are still without power as a result of the deadly tornadoes.
As of 7:08 a.m. Monday, that number stood at 28,694.
Graves County is reporting the highest percentage of outages per customers tracked at 63 percent while Hopkins County has the most customers without power at 5,480.
Fulton, Hickman, Graves, Trigg, Lyon, Caldwell, Hopkins, Christian, Todd, Muhlenberg, Ohio, Logan and Warren Counties all have outages.
Storm surveyors continue assessing tornadoes
6:30 a.m. — More information about the tornadoes that struck certain parts of Kentucky is expected to come out today, according to Louisville’s branch of the National Weather Service.
In a tweet, NWS Louisville said four teams will be out in Warren, Ohio, Logan, Barren, Hart and Green Counties either finishing or beginning storm surveys. Other parts of the area have already been surveyed.
Damage assessment for the tornado that hit Mayfield, Dawson Springs and other parts of western Kentucky has not been made available yet.
AccuWeather predicts damage to be near $18 billion
6:30 a.m. — AccuWeather released its preliminary damage assessment from the Kentucky tornadoes, and it predicts the total damage and economic loss to cost about $18 billion, according to Founder and CEO Dr. Joel N. Myers.
The estimate factors in a lot of variables, including damage to homes and businesses as well as their contents and cars, job and wage losses, infrastructure damage, auxiliary business losses, school closures, costs of power outages to businesses and individuals and for economic losses because of highway closures, transportation disruption and evacuations, as well as extraordinary government expenses for cleanup and rescue operations.
The 2011 tornado outbreak caused $10.2 billion, which currently stands as the records for tornado damage. That figure equates to about $12.6 billion in today’s dollars, in total damage and economic loss.
“While I am confident many hundreds of thousands of lives were saved and injuries prevented due to the amazing progress of weather forecasting since a tornado in the Midwest claimed the lives of nearly 700 people back in 1925, even one life lost to severe weather is far too many,” said Myers. “Our thoughts are with the families of the victims impacted by this tragic event.”
KSP using rapid DNA tests to identify victims
6:30 a.m. — Kentucky State Police, in conjunction with Chief Medical Examiner, Bill Ralston, has been using rapid DNA tests to identify victims from the deadly tornadoes, KSP said.
“Rapid DNA has been used throughout the country for this purpose and can provide results in less than two hours, which allows family members to be notified quickly if their missing loved one has been found,” KSP said in a news release.
Click here to read Monday’s updates.
This story was originally published December 14, 2021 at 7:09 AM.
