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More than 70 Feared Dead after Tornadoes Hit Six States; Kentucky Governor: 110 People Were Inside Candle Factory Leveled by Storm; At Least 2 Dead at Site of Amazon Warehouse Collapse; Woman Rescued from Destroyed Factory Describes Ordeal; White House Responds After 30-Plus Tornadoes Cause Death and Destruction Across 6 States; Tornado Damage in Kingston Springs, TN. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired December 11, 2021 - 15:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[15:00:20]

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN HOST: You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Phil Mattingly in Washington. Jim Acosta is off today.

And we begin with the breaking news we've been following all day.

Unbelievable devastation. More than 70 people are feared dead and many more missing right now as more than 30 tornadoes ripped through six states in the middle of the night.

Now in the light of day, the destruction is horrific. This is what the Kentucky governor calls ground zero. Mayfield, Kentucky flattened, twisted, much of the town gone. A catastrophic tornado leveled a candle factory in Mayfield while it was full of workers.

Now, rescuers and distraught family members are still searching for those who are trapped. One survivor who managed to escape shared the moment she began broadcasting live on Facebook desperate for help.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KYANNA PARSONS-PEREZ, WOMAN TRAPPED IN CANDLE FACTORY, MAYFIELD, KENTUCKY: We are trapped. Please, y'all, get us some help. We're at the candle factory in Mayfield. Please. Please.

Y'all. Please send us some help. Somebody please send us some help. We are trapped. The wall is stuck on me. Nobody can get to us. Y'all. Please. We can't move. Calm down. Please y'all. Pray for us.

Just get somebody to come and help us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTINGLY: Palpable terror there. Across hard hit parts of Kentucky, the National Guard is looking for signs of life, going door-to-door. Though in some places, few doors are still standing.

In Edwardsville, Illinois, rescuers face a huge challenge in finding workers at an Amazon warehouse that partially collapsed, killing at least two people. Adding to the problem, windy conditions, coupled with an unstable site.

20 people also pulled free from the rubble of a nursing home in Monette, Arkansas hit by the storms. One person was killed.

It is possible we are witnessing the aftermath of the longest recorded single tornado path in history. Potentially 250 miles cutting across four states according to the National Weather Service.

Now this video shows a tornado that appears to have touched down along that same path. Take a look. When you the lightning strike in the funnel cloud right there. It is unbelievable.

President Biden is now surging federal resources to these areas that are in a state of emergency, and very clearly still in shock. I want to go right now to Mayfield, Kentucky where CNN's Nadia Romero has been on the scene.

Nadia, I was watching you earlier. You know right behind you is where that candle factory was. You can't even see it, because of what happened overnight. What are you seeing as these desperate rescue efforts continue?

NADIA ROMERO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Phil. I mean it is so hard to imagine what it used to look like behind me. I think of this a massive candle factory that was flattened during that tornado. One man described it as a bomb going off. He said he used to work at this factory. He came out to help pull people out of the rubble overnight. He could not believe his eyes wondering if he was in the right place. And unfortunately, that is what a lot of Mayfield, Kentucky, looks like right now, an area that many people just don't recognize.

So, behind me, all those resources that people are looking for overnight into the morning hours have finally arrive and the governor calling for a state of emergency. We know as you just said that President Biden is sending those federal resources, the National Guard on the way.

But right now, what we're seeing as people in Kentucky helping one another, cities, counties nearby here to Mayfield have come out in the past few hours to really lend everything that they can. Not just EMS, not just search teams, but also companies bringing their heavy machinery to lift that debris to try to find people who may still be alive.

I mean, you can't just imagine what it must be like for them underneath the rubble when that building fell. You showed the woman pleading on Facebook and those same pleas are coming from the other side, their loved ones who are still out here looking for them.

We spoke with a man named Ivy Williams. He came back out here after being here for 10, 11 hours overnight pulling people out of the rubble, looking for one person in particular, his wife, his soulmate, his partner for more than 30 years. Listen to his plea as he's still searching for her.

[15:05:05] (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

IVY WILLIAMS, MISSING WIFE WORKS AT THE CANDLE FACTORY: I am looking for my wife.

If anybody knows her, please take my number, contact me, please. I have been looking for her ever since 10:30 last night. Please help me. I want to find my wife. I want to find her. If she is still somewhere safe. I hope she is somewhere safe. Please call me so we can get connected. Please call me. I am looking for you, baby. We have been looking for you. Please, we are all looking for you right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMERO: Absolutely unbearable to watch. Just heartbreaking seeing Ivy Williams pleading for his wife, calling me, calling everyone he knows asking, have you seen her yet? What about since I called you last, any word about her. He says he was told that she was put on a list, but he doesn't know what that list is for, is the list of people who have been pulled out, not alive. Is it a list of people who were sent to area hospitals? He is still uncertain.

We just spoke with the county coroner's office here, very few details, but he did tell us that there are still 40 people unaccounted for. We asked how many people have died. How many people are in hospitals? Those answers we were not given because of course they are trying to notify family first before they spread that news.

So, we are still working on more details, Phil. But one thing that you know as a journalist when you arrive on scene like somewhere like this that is absolutely horrific is you take a look at the first responders. How are they handling the situation, and a lot of times, they are stoic, they are calm, they are poised.

When we arrived here early this morning, we saw a lot of those firefighters that came from the rubble with their heads down, sobbing, bent over their cars, emotional, because of the lives that have been lost here. And that just talks to the devastation that we are seeing right here at the candle factory. Phil?

MATTINGLY: Yeah. Unquestionably heroic efforts paired with unimaginable pain.

Nadia Romero, thank you so much for the reporting.

And joining me right now on the phone is the Mayor of Mayfield, Kentucky, Kathy O'Nan.

Mayor, first and foremost, our prayers are with you and the entire community based on what has transpired over the course of the last 24 hours. But I want to start earlier on CNN, Governor Andy Beshear said that there hadn't been a successful rescue at that candle factory since about 3:00 a.m. this morning. Can you give us an update on the efforts at that site?

MAYOR KATHY O'NAN, MAYFIELD, KENTUCKY (via telephone): Well, sadly, that statistic still stands, there has not been a successful recovery there since that time this morning. I was with the governor when he was at the candle factory. We are devastated.

Our hearts are broken for those families who are searching for their members, who have lost their - people who have lost their homes. They don't know where they are going sleep tonight. They don't know where they are going to go to work on Monday if ever again. And it is truly a devastating situation at the candle factory as well as all over our wonderful little town.

MATTINGLY: And there were more than 100 people were working overtime at that factory. I think this is probably the busiest time of the year for that factory because of the holidays. Do you have any sense how many have been accounted for and how many may still be missing?

O'NAN: I do not at this time.

MATTINGLY: And I think, Mayor, one of the things it's been almost breathtaking, and gut punch as we are looking at some of the drone footage of your town, and what has happened there or what happened there last night. Can you explain you were on the ground, what does your town look like compared to what it was just 24 hours prior?

O'NAN: Our downtown looks like matchsticks. I walked out this morning, our whole city government campus is destroyed. Our city government, and the mayor's office and the police department share a building, it is destroyed across the driveway. The parking lot is our first fire station, it is destroyed. The fire chief who had to connect chains to his truck and pull the doors open to get the ambulances and the fire trucks out this morning.

And so, we were there all night, all there last night. We were there all night just you know we sheltered. We had people sheltering in place there at our city hall down in the basement. We then were able to get those people out by school bus at some time to the school system to the Mayfield City High School with school buses.

And so, at 6:15 when I walked out of city hall this morning, I -- it looked like matchsticks. Our downtown churches have been destroyed. Our courthouse which is of course right in the center of town is destroyed. We are -- our water system is not functioning at this time.

[15:10:04]

There is no power. There are few pockets of power within our county.

And so, some of the people who have been misplaced from their homes have been shuttled to churches who have volunteered their space there.

It is truly devastating and heartbreaking to look at our community.

MATTINGLY: I can't even imagine. One question that I think that we have all been trying to get our head around just the speed with which this came about particularly this time of the year. By all accounts, the storm moved extraordinarily fast. I do understand residents got about a 20-minute warning which isn't a huge amount of time, but it is more sometimes than usual. How crucial was that in terms, you mentioned, sheltering in place, in terms of people in the community being at least somewhat able to respond before the tornado hit.

O'NAN: Yes, we are served by several TV stations. The closest to us is in Paducah, an NBC affiliate there. And of course, their coverage was showing us the line it was coming. And so, it was no surprise that it was headed our way. And I think we knew, and of course, all day we've heard about this. It's going to be a horrible system, so we were prepared for it.

But nothing prepares you for what when it actually comes. I mean, it is so typical of other tornadoes I've seen on coverages. I live about five blocks from city hall, and whereas, I was in my basement and heard the horrid train sound that you hear about all of the time. My house has no damage whatsoever. Thank God. But then five blocks away, our entire downtown is just destroyed.

MATTINGLY: And the pictures are, you cannot even fathom what happened over that period of time, and particularly in such a fast moment. One of the questions, Mayor, for those you mentioned how just the basic necessities of day-to-day life have been impacted by this. For those survivors, for those in the community in need of immediate housing or medical care, do you have - do you feel like you have enough facilities and staff to handle that. What do you as a community need that you don't have right now?

O'NAN: Right now, we are in the process of setting up a distribution center for supplies. It is typical of America. It typical of our town and our state of how people jump to help. That is tried of all the Kentucky when I'm asked what's the greatest strength of Mayfield, it's always the people. And this was practically through our community by 10:00 last night, and by 10:30, we were getting supplies and food brought in even then.

So right now, we are in the process of setting up a distribution of that. And with all communications shutdown, we are relying on Facebook, the city - with the city offices being destroyed, we cannot send out Facebook messages.

So, we are struggling with that there. They are being handled by our local media, like I said. So, we just want people to be very patient with us, because we want your generosity is so wonderful, but just give us time to get it where the news to you where you can take things to help.

MATTINGLY: Absolutely. And we will absolutely pass along all those messages whenever you have them.

O'NAN: Thank you.

MATTINGLY: And please, if there is anything you guys need, if there's anything you are missing that you feel like we can help get the message out.

Mayor Kathy O'Nan, please do not hesitate to give us a ring.

O'NAN: Thank you.

MATTINGLY: We appreciate it. Our prayers are with you and the community. Thanks so much for your time.

O'NAN: Thank you so much, Phil. I appreciate it.

MATTINGLY: All right. And Kentucky wasn't the only place devastated by the overnight tornadoes. Look at this horrific video from Edwardsville, Illinois, where an Amazon warehouse collapsed. Rescuers are now desperately looking for missing workers. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:18:00]

MATTINGLY: Welcome back. We are following breaking news of the aftermath of devastating overnight storms. And right now, crews are searching for survivors at the site of an Amazon warehouse that partially collapsed during those storms in Edwardsville, Illinois. And we know at least two people are confirmed dead. Search efforts are going slowly, due in large part to windy conditions and dangling concrete.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF MICHAEL FILLBACK, EDWARDSVILLE, ILLINOIS POLICE DEPARTMENT: Some of the obstacles that we faced, our first responders have faced since the beginning of this initially, and there was a large amount of water issue there because of the fire suppression system as well as powerlines that needed to be secured before first responders could actually get into the rubble.

There's a lot of debris from the concrete that is predominantly a concrete and steel structure, so you have concrete, and you have things hanging that is quite windy outside. So, things are unstable. So, they have to sure those things up so that they can be safe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTINGLY: Now, thankfully dozens of people inside that warehouse were able to leave the scene without injury. Amazon is calling the event a devastating tragedy saying their quote, "Thoughts and prayers and deepest sympathies are with the victims, their loved ones and everyone impacted."

Now, we'd moved through two states. I want to take you to a third. That's Arkansas, where at least two people were killed in the storms last night. One died at a Dollar General store after getting trapped there. The other at a nursing home in the city of Monette. At least 20 others were injured, rescuers pulling them from the building.

And we're just getting some new photos of the damage left behind. And seeing that, it is remarkable. That more people were not killed. The mayor saying the city storm warning system most definitely saved lives.

[15:20:00]

Now I want to swing back to Kentucky where the governor says more than 70 people are feared dead. And this just in. The Graves County coroner says about 40 people remain unaccounted for at the site of that collapsed candle factory.

Joining me now by phone is the Lieutenant Dean Patterson at the Kentucky state police.

Lieutenant Patterson, thank you so much for joining us. Obviously, our prayers are with the entire commonwealth. At this point in time, can you give us an update right now at what you are seeing in terms of the rescue and recovery work as it is ongoing.

LT. DEAN PATTERSON, KENTUCKY STATE POLICE (via telephone): Thank you for having me.

It is clearly ongoing. We obviously have the ability to see a lot better with the daylight that we didn't have earlier today. And you know, it is a very thorough and slow process, because you have to be careful when you are dealing with so much debris, and so many unknowns, you know one wrong move and you could actually cause more damage. So, it is a slow and methodical process. Lots of people out there working together to do everything they can to hopefully find you know some survivors in that devastating area.

MATTINGLY: You mentioned that the slow and methodical process, you know the images we've seen, we're looking at it right now on our screen. It is showing unimaginable destruction. Our first responders able actually get to the affected areas where the roads clear in covering these events, I know that that's one of the biggest issues you face in the immediate aftermath.

PATTERSON: Yes, since I've spoken with you guys several hours ago, the roads have cleared up some. We have had plenty of heavy equipment, machinery come in. That has allowed a lot of the responders to get to where they need to. It's better than it was, but we still have a long way to go.

MATTINGLY: And are you receiving a high volume of emergency calls right now? What is directing your efforts in terms of how you're deciding how to deploy the resources?

PATTERSON: Well, early on, you know overnight, when we really had you know limited visibility, we were receiving dozens if not hundreds of phone calls wanting to know if their family members were OK and accounted for. And we simply had to kind of put them in queue. And as soon as the sun rose, we put our troopers into action.

And they started going to these addresses looking for people who were in their homes that were accounted for. And we tried to make contact with those loved ones to let them know, and those things, we are still doing that right now, and doing the welfare checks and basically just going door-to-door or what used to be a door to make sure there is no one else inside. MATTINGLY: And one thing that is always great about this country, these communities, is you know, you always see people in the aftermath of events like this want to pitch in, want to help, want to do anything they can. From your perspective, are they advised to do that right now or should they stay inside and leave it to local authorities at least for the time being?

PATTERSON: Well, if you are in a safe place now, you need to stay in that safe place. I understand the want and desire to help. And I think it is great that people have that, but you have to understand that that hampers our ability to get where we need to. Just you know just the ordinary traffic right now that is coming in out of town is hampering our ability just to get a few miles. And so, unless you have an absolute need to be there or responder, you just need to stay in a safe place, and just tune in for updates.

MATTINGLY: And one of the main questions we're going to be having throughout the next couple of hours and I've been talking to White House officials about this. But in terms of federal assistance, in terms of assistance from outside of the state, what do you need right now. What are your teams need to be able to do the job that they need to do to help the people on the ground?

PATTERSON: Well, honestly, you know financial resources is going to be a big part of that. You know the governor spoke earlier today about the request for emergency funds and obviously, we are getting National Guard personnel. And I'm sure those will be far reaching. I know FEMA is on its way, if they are not already in place.

And just having those teams set up that unfortunately do this on a regular basis, that will allow us, you know, the first responders that deal with crime or police response to get back to what we need to do to make sure that the community, because there is still a community that's intact, and we have to make sure that that is still safe.

MATTINGLY: Absolutely. Lieutenant Dean Patterson, Kentucky state police, thank you so much for your time. But also, very grateful for what you're doing on the ground, sir.

PATTERSON: Thanks.

MATTINGLY: All right. Coming up, a candle factory in Mayfield, Kentucky, collapsed during last night's storms and tornadoes. Leaving those inside trapped, fearing they would never make it out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PARSONS-PEREZ: I am really scared. I am trying to be cool, but I'm really, really scared because where I'm at, where I'm at, I'm like stuck underneath the wall, so I'll be the last person to get out. But I know I'm going to be okay."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MATTINGLY: We are keeping a close eye and updating you on the breaking news.

And at least 40 people remain unaccounted for at the site of a collapsed candle factory in Kentucky. Now that factory was hit during a night of powerful storms, including a tornado that traveled 200 miles across the state according to the governor.

Now we know there were 110 people inside of the building when it was leveled during those storms.

[15:30:00]

Now, we are hearing the frantic calls for help from inside of that factory, including from this woman who was ultimately rescued.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KYANNA PARSONS-PEREZ, RESCUED FROM COLLAPSED CANDLE FACTORY (voice- over): I am really scared. I am trying to be cool, you all. But I am really scared, because we are on the edge.

I am like stuck underneath the walls. Am going to be the last person to get out. I know that I'm going to be OK.

I'm in Mayfield and I work at the candle factory. And they told us not to move. And if we move, it is going to cause the stuff to fall more, and we don't want that.

But my freaking legs. You all, my legs. I wish I could push and move my legs and like my toes, I don't think that I feel them anymore.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTINGLY: And as we mentioned, that woman, Kyanna Parsons-Perez, we just heard from, was rescued.

And she spoke to CNN earlier today about her experience. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PARSONS-PEREZ (voice-over): We were standing, and they had us all, you know, evacuated to the shelter, the safety area. And we were there, and they took attendance.

And then the next thing that you know, there was like a little gust of wind. And I was like, why is the wind blowing in the factory? We felt the wind, and my ears started popping.

And then it was like the building and like we all just rocked back and forth. And then, boom, everything fell on us.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): UNIDENTIFIED CNN HOST: And what was that like?

PARSONS-PEREZ: It was the most terrifying thing that I have ever experienced in my life. It was almost shock, like, wait, is this really happening, you know.

I love movies and I have watched all of the movies where things like this have happened. And I am like, oh, my god, this is just like in the movie. It was extremely scary.

At first, I was really calm, and trying to keep my co-workers calm, and you know, things like that. But after being pinned so long, and my legs I could not feel them, and move them, and then I started to panic myself.

I started to call my mother. And prior to that, I decided to go live and that is how everyone got to my live video.

Because when I called 911, they said, we know, we are trying to get there. And I was like, oh, I don't know how big Mayfield is, but if they have that much damage, and if they are working on everywhere else, when are they getting to us.

And I decided to go live, so that more people could come to see about us.

SANCHEZ: You mean going live on Facebook?

(CROSSTALK)

PARSONS-PEREZ: Yes. I went live on Facebook Live.

SANCHEZ: And I understand why you were doing that. Because you could hear the folks around you shouting and pleading for help.

PARSONS-PEREZ: Yes.

SANCHEZ: What could sense at that moment. Could you make out any specific people around you or nearby?

PARSONS-PEREZ: One of my co-workers or people around us. They were saying their name, and somebody said, if you have their phone, call my family and tell them that I love them.

So I called her family, and calling back and forth, and they were saying that the people are on the way there.

But we were so far under, that we didn't know that people were there until we started to feel the pressure.

Because people were walking on the building. And we were like, hey, we were under there, and we were hitting stuff. But we didn't want to hit too much, because they told us not to move too much, because it may make more stuff fall.

SANCHEZ: How did you --

(CROSSTALK)

SANCHEZ: How were you able to get out? Did someone move stuff around so you could get out on your own or did they lift you out? PARSONS-PEREZ: They definitely lifted me out. And one was pushing and

pulling for me.

But what happened is that we were all packed up in there in the corner. We were packed in there.

And so, one person got out, and then they were able to get somebody else out, and somebody else out. And I was the last person in that section to get out.

And I was pinned underneath the water fountain. And I found out later that the water fountain, and behind the water fountain was an air conditioning unit.

And so when one of the rescue people was there, and he said that there was five feet of debris on top of you.

UNIDENTIFIED CNN HOST: Wow.

(CROSSTALK)

PARSONS-PEREZ: And so I was extremely scared.

SANCHEZ: Yes, understandably.

PARSONS-PEREZ: And so, getting the debris from underneath me. Because we could not do anything with the top, they got everything from underneath me.

They started to break up the drywall but moving everything. And with the people being gone, the rescue person was able to get down in there and he kind of helped me to shift my bottom.

And I was able to twist my butt to get the leg free. And then I was able to lift and pull my body out from underneath. And he took my shoe off for me, because it was going to be a problem to get out of that space.

[15:35:03]

And then they started -- and I was able to turn and lift. And he was pushing, and he was literally underneath me and pushing my butt up. And somebody else pulling my arms and going like that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MATTINGLY: I want to bring in now CNN meteorologist, Chad Myers.

And, Chad, you almost cannot comprehend the pictures we've been seeing. And yet, what I am reading about this, it is hardly justice to how huge the area of destruction was last night.

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, you said it earlier in the show, 200 miles likely on the ground. We don't know if it is constant.

But anywhere from all of the way from Arkansas all of the way past what is likely here where that town where the lady was talking there and going to Central City.

We know that Bowling Green was hit by a separate tornado rated EF-3. But we don't know how big that hit those towns.

And Dawson Springs hit very hard, and so many towns that were hit that we can't mention because there are so many. But there are two. And we don't have crews there yet, but there are certainly crews on the way to many, many place.

And that storm on Bowling Green, an EF-3, somewhere around 150-mile- an-hour storms. And some of them we are skipping, so maybe double counted. And they will go down to pare that down, and we will see how many.

We still have a chance of severe weather. But the ingredients here are not there for that type of weather. That is the good news.

And yesterday, we had 80 degrees in Memphis. And 80 degrees on a December day. And then the cold front came slamming into it, and the air up, and the storms were rotating.

Today, we have a thunderstorm, which is a squall line, which makes wind, but not really big-time rotation that it takes to get that big of a storm like yesterday.

So a little bit of rotation in the south, parts of Georgia and southern Alabama. But this is not a day like yesterday.

You can go buy a bag of flour and that is like the heat and the humidity, but you need more than heat and humidity to make what makes the tornado.

So you have the bag of flour, and you can make a biscuit or the brownie. Different ingredients. We don't have the ingredients today to get the weather like it is yesterday.

And we haven't had the ingredients in a December. And you can see it in the top 10. Those tornadoes don't happen in December. But obviously they do.

On average, 23 tornadoes every year in December, but with the climate warming, maybe it is going to be longer, like the hurricane season is longer, and we know that the forest season is longer as well.

MATTINGLY: You mentioned Dawson Springs. And the pictures there are horrifying from the perspective and everything is horrifying, but those in particular.

And, Chad, what now? For those now on the ground, and first responders, what should they be expecting in terms of future weather stemming from the future hours and days ahead?

MYERS: Good question. Cold air. It is now in the 40s there. After these big-time weather events of yesterday in the 70s and 80s, now all of the sudden in the 40s. And tonight's lows should be in upper 20s and upper 30s. So those are not good conditions if you are stuck somewhere waiting for the first responders to find you or good conditions for the first responders to find you.

So that is the cold front that made all of this. And so we have to expect that.

MATTINGLY: Yes.

Chad Myers, appreciate it as always, sir.

All right. Our breaking news continues. More than 30 tornadoes causing death and destruction across six different states. At least 70 people feared dead in Kentucky alone.

[15:38:43]

How the White House is responding, coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:43:24]

MATTINGLY: Desperate rescue and recovery efforts are underway right now after more than 30 tornadoes tore a path of destruction across six states overnight. More than 70 people are feared dead.

Kentucky saw the worst of it. And moments ago, President Biden approved an emergency declaration for the commonwealth in order to surge resources there.

And he will address the nation shortly.

On that note, I want to go to CNN's Arlette Saenz who is live at the White House.

Arlette, I was struck thinking about how many of these moments the president has had to address in his first seven months in office. Obviously, he views himself as particularly good at addressing them because of the empathetic way.

But what do you expect to hear from the president as someone who has covered him for years?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Phil, this is the first time that we are hearing directly from President Biden about the devastating storms that swept across at least five states Friday into Sunday morning.

It will give the president two opportunities. One, to lay out the federal response and what it looks like.

But also to assume the role of comforter in chief, something that we have seen so often from this president, even going back to his time as vice president and Senator. And it is something that he can relate to and share how he understands

the tragedy and the feelings that people are experiencing right now, as they have lost loved ones .

And also seeing their homes and belongings scattered and are facing the moment where they are going to have to rebuild their lives in the wake of the storms.

Now the president is going to be speaking in a short while from Wilmington, Delaware, where he is going to spend the weekend.

[15:44:59]

He has also been receiving updates from the team in Washington while he has been there in Delaware.

He has had a briefing with the FEMA director, Deanna Criswell, as well as the Homeland Security adviser, Lynn Sherwood-Randall.

And the president has directed FEMA to surge federal resources to the impacted states.

FEMA has already announced that they have deployed two FEMA incident management assistance teams who are en route to Kentucky as this moment.

There are other damage teams and staff who are on standby to deploy to Kentucky or other areas impacted, as those states say if they need additional help.

But certainly, in a short while, we will hear from the president and not just talk about the federal response efforts but share some words of sympathy and condolences for the people who have lost their loved ones and seen so many of their lives shattered due to the storms.

MATTINGLY: It is something that he has had do far too often in the first 11 months in office.

Arlette Saenz, we will be coming back to you with those remarks. Thanks so much.

All right, coming up, our break new coverage continues. More than 70 feared dead across several states after a massive overnight outbreak of tornados. Stay with CNN for the latest.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:50:53]

MATTINGLY: Up next on CNN, where, at this very moment, intense search and rescue efforts are underway after deadly tornados tore across six states overnight. Now, those storms killed at least three people in the state of Tennessee.

In the town of Kingston Springs, a woman was trapped when the storms picked up her mobile home and threw it on top of her. First responders pulled her to safety and she's hospitalized in critical condition.

This morning, we got a report in from a CNN affiliate, WSMV, reporter, Ryan Breslin, in Kingston Springs, Tennessee. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RYAN BRESLIN, REPORTER, WSMV: Let me show you some of this damage that we're seeing. In our last live shot, I showed you the electric company. I talked to one of the workers there.

And this was a full structure here. He told me that there was all lighting structures in here. But now you can see that the walls have blown out and everything is now on the ground here, blown away.

As we come down here, off of highway 70, we'll go somewhat down the road. Going to make sure my photographer is safe right now as we're walking. It is muddy out here.

But you look down Sneed Road, and even just right here at this tree, look at the twists in the branches of the tree. Thomas, right over here. This tree. You can see the twists on the branches.

Then all the way down the road, the debris that carries towards those homes right there.

As far as damage goes, we haven't been able to get down there because there are powerlines that are down on the ground right now. We can see that there are some roofs off at this point.

And we did just check in with the fire cheer chief that's out here from Kingston Springs. He says they don't have any updates on any injuries at this moment.

Because they have been able to sweep down here. We did see flashlights out here and rescue crews down here. They're also trying to get down Highway 70 and work with some of the people that are clearing the roads to try and get there.

At this point, they still haven't reached Buttersworth Road. But we do know from one of the gentlemen and his crew that were clearing the road, he told me that they have been able to clear all the way to Miller Hill Road.

And then he said he was told that the road is clear on Highway 70 all the way to the Harpeth River Bridge.

Just take a look at all of the damage, the debris out here. These are lighting fixtures. That's what one of the workers told me, that is part of this electric company that's here on U.S. 70.

Up in front of us here, that's the office of the building. Beyond that is where the rescue crews are working. It's actually incredible to see them out there.

The fire chief is there with a white board. He's on the radio talking to people that are in different areas of Kingston Springs right now trying to figure out where there's damage, who needs some rescues, and who needs help at this point.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MATTINGLY: Great reporting. Jarring pictures from WSMV's Ryan Breslin and his team in Kingston Springs, Tennessee.

We're going a keep a very close eye on this for the next couple of hours.

But for the moment, for many, this time is about giving back. The "15th Annual CNN Heroes All-Star Tribute" celebrates 10 people who put others first all year long. The star-studded gala airs this Sunday, live, at 8:00 p.m. Eastern.

Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JENIFER COLPAS, CNN HERO: There was not drink of a water. Something inside me start saying, you need to do something about it.

DR. ALA STANFORD, CNN HERO: I could not allow one additional life to be lost.

LYNDA DOUGHTY, CNN HERO: I feel this responsibility to help these animals. This is what I was put on this earth to do.

SHIRLEY RAINES, CNN HERO: They started calling me the make-up lady.

ZANNAH MUSTAPHA, CNN HERO: What keeps me going is the resilience of these children.

HECTOR GUADALUPE, CNN HERO: We want to give you your second chance at life and provide you a way to dream.

MICHELE NEFF HERNANDEZ, CNN HERO: We help people live through something they did not think they would survive.

[15:55:01]

DR. PATRICIA GORDON, CNN HERO: I'm just doing the job I was supposed to do. I think I'm the luckiest doctor that ever lived.

DAVID FLINK, CNN HERO: I want them to know their brains are beautiful. We have to love each other across our differences

MADE JANUR YASA, CNN HERO: There's no small thing. If you believe, you will succeed.

ANNOUNCER: Join Anderson Cooper and Kelly Rippa, live, as they name the 2021 Hero of the Year.

KELLY RIPPA, HOST: Welcome to the CNN Heroes family.

ANNOUNCER: The "15th Annual CNN Heroes All-Star Tribute," Sunday at 8:00 Eastern. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)