Major tornado damage is being reported in western Kentucky, as strong storms moved into the state late Friday night.
Kentucky’s Governor Andy Beshear held a news conference on Saturday morning. The Governor said the damage in parts of the state was catastrophic.
Governor Beshear said Kentucky had “experienced some of the worst tornado damage we’ve seen in a long time”.
“The damage is significant, we expect multiple fatalities”, Gov. Beshear said.
“We believe our death toll from this event will exceed 50, Kentuckians probably end up closer to 70 to 100 lost lives. Remember, each of these are children of God irreplaceable to their families and to their communities,” Gov. Beshear said.
“As of 4:55 am on Saturday, more than 56 thousand Kentuckians are without power,” the Governor said.
Gov. Beshear declared a state of emergency about 1 a.m. in multiple Western Kentucky counties. He activated the Kentucky National Guard and the Kentucky State Police to assist.
Beshear said the tornado that hit Mayfield was nearly 200 miles long.
In the community of Mayfield, many buildings collapsed, with several people reported being stuck inside a damaged candle factory.
The governor declared a state of emergency after 1 a.m. and he activated the Kentucky National Guard and Kentucky State Police to help the areas affected.
Gov. Andy Beshear held a news conference Saturday morning on Storm Damage and State’s Response:
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