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Historic Swarm Of Deadly Tornadoes Slams Through Six States; Illinois Gov. Announces Six People Dead At Amazon Warehouse; Rep. James Comer (R-KY) Discusses About The Rescue In Mayfield, Kentucky After The Devastating Tornadoes; Tornado Survivor Recounts Being Trapped Under Debris In Kentucky. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired December 11, 2021 - 18:00   ET

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

[18:00:19]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST (voice over): Destruction and devastation as a swarm of deadly tornadoes slam through six states, killing at least 79 people.

In Kentucky, a candle factory flattened. Officials digging through the rubble looking for survivors.

GOV. ANDY BESHEAR (D-KY): I just came from there. We're going to lose a lot of lives in that facility.

BROWN (voice over): Families outside of the facility desperate for news about their loved ones.

IVY WILLIAMS, MISSING WIFE WORKS IN CANDLE FACTORY: I've been looking for her ever since 10:30 this morning -- the night. Please help me.

BROWN (voice over): Meantime in Illinois, an Amazon warehouse partially collapsed.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have no idea how to get a hold of him. I have no idea what's going on and we're just worried sick. We just want to know if he's okay.

BROWN (voice over): President Biden offers Federal support.

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is one of those times when we aren't Democrats or Republicans, it sounds like hyperbole, but it's real. We're all Americans. We stand together as the United States of America. That's what I say to all the victims during our prayers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

BROWN: I am Pamela Brown in Mayfield, Kentucky, the epicenter of the deadliest December day for tornadoes on record. More than 70 people are feared dead from a devastating string of tornadoes across a half dozen states.

[VIDEO CLIP PLAYS]

BROWN: The death toll climbs as sunlight fades, as rescuers now battle darkness and the clock and the cold. Winds ripped apart an Amazon warehouse in Western Illinois, killing at least two people. The wreckage is exceedingly dangerous for rescue crews who are painstakingly searching for survivors.

In Arkansas, a tornado decimated a nursing home. At least one person is killed there. Many people were trapped and at least 20 injured.

Here in Mayfield, where I am right now in Kentucky, my home state, dozens of people are missing after a tornado flattened a candle factory.

We talked to one man who rushed to this factory where his wife worked and he managed to pull two people out of the rubble, but his wife is still missing and each passing moment is agony.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIAMS: I want to find my wife. I want to find her and I hope she is still somewhere safe. I hope she is with me. I am begging, please, call me soon so we can get connected. Please, call me. I'm looking for you, baby. We've been looking for you. Me, Tamar and the kids. We are all looking for you right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: There is just so much heartache, so much agony, so much grief going on around me where I am right now.

In all, more than 30 tornadoes raked across six states. CNN meteorologists say that one single tornado -- it was one single longest track twister may have ripped a 250-mile swath of damage from Arkansas to Kentucky.

Our correspondents are fanned out across the area shattered by the tornadoes and are on the scene following all the latest rescue efforts. Let's begin here in Mayfield with CNN's Nadia Romero.

Nadia, I know you had been here for hours. What has it been like for you?

NADIA ROMERO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Oh Pamela, this has been incredibly hard to be on scene and seeing the raw emotion all day.

When we arrived, it was dark outside and now here we are, as darkness falls again and there is still that same pain and agony from the moment we arrived to some 12 to 13 hours later.

What we're seeing when we first arrived on the scene was really devastation on the face of the first responders and that is really one way that as a journalist, when you show up to a scene like this after a natural disaster, you can kind of get a feel for what is happening. And we saw some of those firefighters as they came out of the rubble,

go to their vehicles, hang their heads and start sobbing, because they weren't able to pull out more people alive.

We were told by the Mayor here in Mayfield that they haven't been able to rescue anyone, find a survivor since about three o'clock this morning. That means that we've gone hours and hours of just finding people who --

BROWN: Okay, hey, Nadia, I've got to cut in here because the Governor of Illinois is speaking right now. Let's listen.

MAYOR ART RISAVY, EDWARDSVILLE, ILLINOIS: ... Arkansas, Missouri, and Tennessee, we are all suffering a great loss tonight.

I want to thank Governor Pritzker for offering immediate, immediate response for disaster and recovery efforts.

[18:05:08]

RISAVY: In addition, I want to thank all of our State and local officials for offering tremendous support, many which are here tonight.

Most importantly, I want to thank all of our first responders, our policemen, our firemen, our public services employees, who have been working tirelessly for over 20 hours to keep our residents safe.

I've been getting many phone calls asking what to do. I can reiterate what Chief said, if you'd like to deliver food and water, we are recommending the Red Cross or the Salvation Army.

I can say the most important thing that you can do is pray for the victims and their families. Now, I'd like to introduce Governor Pritzker.

GOV. J.B. PRITZKER (D-IL): Thank you, Mr. Mayor, and good evening to all of you.

I'm here at the Madison County Public Safety building in Edwardsville with the Illinois Homeland Security Adviser and Director of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, our Brigadier General Alicia Tate-Nadeau, and additional statewide and local IEMA personnel.

We are joined by Edwardsville, of course, Mayor Art Risavy, whose leadership has been so important in these last 20 hours; Senator Rachelle Crowe, Representative Katie Stewart, Representative Amy Elik, County Board Chair Kurt Prenzler, Incident Commander you met just moments ago. Chief -- Fire Chief Whiteford and local officials from Madison County and Edwardsville Fire and Police Command staff, thank you to all of you for the work that you've been doing.

I really am tremendously grateful to our State and local teams who were on the ground here through the night, working to save lives.

Last night, severe storms swept through Central Illinois and Metro East with a tornado touching down in Madison, Cass, Moultrie, Shelby, Coles, and Fayette counties.

Amidst these conditions, the Edwardsville community experienced great tragedy, the structural collapse of an Amazon warehouse with workers inside.

It brings me great sorrow to confirm that at this time, six individuals have lost their lives in the collapse, with an additional person receiving medical treatment. Search and recovery operations are ongoing.

This is a tragic day in Illinois history, and I would like for a moment to speak directly to the families whose loved ones lost their lives in this disaster. There are no words to assuage the pain of losing a loved one and even fewer when that cost and that loss comes so suddenly.

Everyone assumes that they'll be safe at work. Families say goodbye in a routine fashion when their loved ones go off to their jobs. We don't think that they'll never come home. It's devastating, and I cannot imagine the pain that you are feeling at this moment.

Please know that the people of Illinois stand with you. We are one Illinois. In this moment, and in the days months and years to come, you are not alone. We will stand with you to help you through your grief and then to honor your loved ones. May their memory be a blessing.

I want to recognize the tremendous overnight efforts of local emergency responders here in Edwardsville, who moved quickly to assess the situation, locate those who are missing and save lives.

So many have been engaged in assisting in these efforts, including St. Clair County and St. Louis City, St. Louis County, Madison County Emergency Management, Madison County Sheriff's Department, Pontoon Beach Police Department, Illinois State Police, Mitchell Fire Department, Alton Fire department, Hemel Fire Department, Madison Fire Department, Glen Carbon Fire Department, and numerous other police, fire, EMS agencies, and machinery experts -- all our neighbors working to respond to this devastation, demonstrating that especially when tragedy strikes, we are one in our response.

Earlier today, I spoke with President Biden and with FEMA Director Criswell to make sure that Federal officials are coordinating with our Illinois Emergency Management Agency.

[18:10:10]

PRITZKER: The President offered to assist with whatever we may need to recover. In addition, Senator Tammy Duckworth has been monitoring the situation and will help us get whatever Federal relief is necessary.

I also spoke with Amazon earlier today and implored them to provide every assistance to this community, which they have said they intend to do. IEMA continues to work directly with local officials to actively monitor storms and their impacts throughout the State, especially in Central Illinois. That includes coordinating with utility companies to ensure that power

is restored as soon as possible to Illinoisans who lost it. Approximately 50 percent of those who lost power had it restored by 7:00 AM today, and utilities are working around the clock to bring that to a hundred percent restored as fast as possible.

This storm system hit many other communities, and we are in communication with all of them to help meet their needs. At this time, no additional region has requested resources from IEMA though we stand ready to assist.

I am deeply thankful that at this time, there are no additional injuries or deaths reported due to these storms.

To anyone who experienced damage to your home or your business, we will pursue all available resources to help you recover. Our IEMA teams on the ground have been in constant communication with local jurisdictions to support the emergency response by whatever means necessary and will continue to do so.

My administration is committed to standing with Edwardsville in every aspect of the immediate recovery, as well as on the road to rebuild as a community. You are not alone.

Finally, I would like to ask every Illinoisan in every corner of this State to take a moment to offer a prayer for the Edwardsville and Pontoon Beach communities and especially for the families who are grieving today, as well as for all Americans who have suffered at the hands of this weekend's storms.

This is a difficult end to a difficult year. Unfortunately, the people of this State have been asked too many times over the last few years to persevere during difficult times, but time and again Illinoisans, find a way to do just that, lifting each other up.

And on nights like last night, literally offering a hand to their neighbors trapped in the wreckage.

We should remember, during this Holiday season, that even during the worst of days, Illinoisans find ways to show the best of themselves. During a time when much is made of what divides us that gives me hope. I pray it does for you, too.

Thank you, and I'm happy to take any questions. And, of course, the leaders locally, too.

QUESTION: Governor, when you talked to Amazon, did they talk about the fact that they took employees to a safe place? Was there anywhere where employees could go to get shelter?

PRITZKER: We did not talk specifics about where the movement of employees were, but as I said, I implored them to stand up for this community to make sure that the families get whatever they need in this community, and they've offered to do so.

QUESTION: Can you tell us how many workers are estimated to be (INAUDIBLE).

PRITZKER: I'd like to leave that to the Incident Commander. Maybe you'd like to step up?

FIRE CHIEF JAMES WHITEFORD, INCIDENT COMMANDER: I'm sorry, the question was?

QUESTION: Do you have any idea how many workers are unaccounted for in this incident?

WHITEFORD: We do not, for numerous reasons. The warehouse doesn't have a specific count of how many employees were in the building at the time that the storm hit. So we're unable to determine how many may be missing still.

QUESTION: What can you tell us about the (INAUDIBLE) fatalities (INAUDIBLE).

WHITEFORD: We're not prepared to release any information like that at this time.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) if this is a search and rescue or if this is a search and recovery effort?

WHITEFORD: So at this point, we have transitioned to search and recovery. We don't expect that anyone can be surviving at this point.

QUESTION: Did Amazon get the emergency alert and when did they alert their employees that the situation about the (INAUDIBLE)?

WHITEFORD: I can't speak to that. That's internal policy for them, not something that we've discussed.

QUESTION: Did you ask someone from Amazon to come here today?

[18:15:10]

WHITEFORD: I'm sorry?

QUESTION: Did you ask someone from Amazon to come today?

WHITEFORD: No.

QUESTION: Did they offer to send anyone?

WHITEFORD: Not that I'm aware of. No.

QUESTION: Can you tell us why a company that packages all over the world can't tell us how many employees were in this (INAUDIBLE).

WHITEFORD: There are several different reasons. So, it was a shift change going on. That's my understanding. They have vans that come in, and they drop off the vans, and then people get in their cars and leave.

So as the shift change was going on, the number of people in the building was varying. So that's part of it. They have part time workers as well. So --

QUESTION: Can you tell us was this spot a fulfillment center where they actually loaded the packages on to the vans? What was the -- what was happening at this specific building?

WHITEFORD: That's correct. This is a facility where they load and divide up the orders into routes that they're going to take, load them into the vans, and then the vans leave from there to go do the deliveries to homes and businesses.

QUESTION: Can you (INAUDIBLE).

QUESTION: ... how they started, how long they go on and are they still happening now?

WHITEFORD: So, the scene out there, there are about 150 yards of the building that were impacted by the tornado. The walls on both sides of the building collapsed inward. The roof of the building collapsed downward, so most of the way to the building landed centrally into the building.

This walls are made out of 11-inch thick concrete, and they are about 40 feet tall. So, a lot of weight when that came down.

QUESTION: Did you say (INAUDIBLE) --

WHITEFORD: One moment, please. Sorry?

QUESTION: Can you tell us more about the search efforts? When did they start last night and did they continue all day? Are they continuing at this time?

WHITEFORD: So the call came in about 8:35 last night. We had our first units on scene about six minutes later and we started search and recovery immediately.

We had some police officers that helped pull people from the rubble, along with some of the workers from Amazon that got initial people out. After that, it became a little more technical. We had some concerns about safety of our workers because the building was still charged with electrical at that time, in addition to water that was leaking. The mains had broken, so water was pouring into the building, and then we also have gas leaking from natural gas.

So lots of hazards that that were going on, in addition to things hanging overhead from partially collapsed roofs and we had to move very slowly and methodically to make sure that we weren't injuring any of our workers.

QUESTION: Will you continue through the night?

WHITEFORD: They will be wrapping up here about now. We're working daylight hours moving forward.

QUESTION: Chief, from what I understand, this facility and these routes were owned by a third party Amazon distributor. Have you spoken with that third party that owns the routes in the buildings there?

WHITEFORD: No, we haven't.

QUESTION: Can you speak (INAUDIBLE) if they were sheltering in one spot or were they found throughout the building?

WHITEFORD: We found two locations basically where we had victims and so forth, but we're not -- we're not done yet. So ...

QUESTION: Were there any designated shelter there, anything that is required by the county or the State?

WHITEFORD: I can't speak to that.

QUESTION: Do you anything about workers allegedly being trapped in the basement still?

WHITEFORD: No, to my knowledge, there is no basement in the facility.

QUESTION: Chief, what do you say to the families and loved ones of the (INAUDIBLE) who are still trying to get in touch with some (INAUDIBLE)?

WHITEFORD: Yes.

QUESTION: And as far as hope, what would you tell those people, some (INAUDIBLE)?

WHITEFORD: Mike, you have details on the reunification center?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So Pontoon Beach has graciously assisted throughout this, and the Madison County Coroner's Office, and then we've set up a reunification center there. It is still ongoing.

They've -- anyone that might be missing a loved one, they can reach out to Edwardsville Police Department and we can provide them with information to respond to that center.

Again, you know, we would ask -- it's an ongoing process. We understand that, you know, if their loved one is missing, our hearts go out to them. Part of our first responders, we've got to make sure it's a safe environment in order to get them in there.

But they will be able to respond there, and we have chaplains there along with coroner's office to try to get further information from them at that time to figure out if their loved one actually was at that center and how to go about identifying where they are at and make sure that we can resolve that issue for them.

[18:20:13]

QUESTION: Do you have a phone number and address to send people for that reunification center?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. So the address for Pontoon Beach, I don't have -- but I can give you the phone number for our Police Department, which is 618-656-2131.

We would ask, folks, if you're missing a loved one, reach -- you know, reach out to our dispatch. If you're looking, again, our dispatch has been inundated with media calls, as well as citizens wishing to assist, and we would again, ask for anyone wanting to assist reach out to Red Cross or Salvation Army. And they can -- they can get that help better directed, and now to free up our dispatch center to address these the citizens, these families that are looking for someone or other things that they need to do.

QUESTION: I have a question for the Governor, please. Who did you speak with at Amazon? And what exactly did you ask them to do?

PRITZKER: So one of the leaders in their Worldwide Operations who covers this territory, and during that phone call, I asked them specifically to help the community recover, to be part of the recovery efforts here, especially for the families who lost loved ones and those who were injured and to make sure that the community as a whole can recover, and they've offered to do that.

QUESTION: Does that mean financially? And did you ask them to let Amazon workers in other facilities go home today?

PRITZKER: I didn't have a specific conversation about the hours of their workers or whether they would be going home today. I can only imagine that most of them are. But no, what we spoke about was the financial assistance and Amazon's presence being engaged with the community in the recovery effort.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.

PRITZKER: Okay, thank you, everyone. Yes?

QUESTION: Governor, can you speak about any other damage that Illinois experienced in this event?

PRITZKER: We've seen unfortunately, as I mentioned, tornadoes touched down in a variety of counties throughout Central Illinois, really, from Metro East all the way across to Decatur and beyond. And, of course, you know, that same line of storms headed into Kentucky and did even more damage there, and there was a much greater loss of life.

And I have spoken with the Governor of Kentucky directly and, of course, on the call with the President as well with the other governors whose states have experienced not only damage but loss of life.

But let me just say that throughout the State, at Central Illinois, that damage is something that we're going to have to address.

The loss of life here is the most important and immediate thing that we're here for, and of course, the people who've been injured, but I think we're going to be recovering from this in Central Illinois for really months to come, and the State will be with them.

QUESTION: Do you know about any other deaths outside of this event at the Amazon?

PRITZKER: No. None. In fact, none have been reported -- no other injuries as well outside have been reported to us.

QUESTION: Do you think Amazon did have its presence here? Do they have a presence here (INAUDIBLE)?

PRITZKER: Oh, I can't speak to that. I know that they are -- I mean, again, they have offered their resources, their help in this process. I know that they're involved in that, you know, the providing of that reunification center. And you know, we'll be looking to them to do, to live up to the promises that they've made, which I expect that they will.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All right, thank you, everyone.

BROWN: You were just listening there to officials in Illinois, including the Governor talking about the devastation in the wake of overnight tornadoes that swept through Illinois and other states including Kentucky where I am right here.

And there in Illinois, an Amazon warehouse collapsed and we just learned from that press conference that six people were killed inside that warehouse.

Officials said they don't know how many people in total were inside at the time that the tornadoes came through, but that this is now a search and recovery operation, and they described what happened that the walls there are thick concrete and when the tornado swept through, the thick concrete walls went inwards, the ceiling went down.

And now, we know, six people lost their lives there at the warehouse.

And just moments ago, President Biden sent his condolences to the victims of those deadly storms and pledged to help the state's affected.

[18:25:03]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: Jill and I pray and I sincerely mean this, pray for those who have lost loved ones and for those who are uncertain of the fate of their loved ones, and debris that you see scattered all over the hurricane's path.

They lost their homes, they lost their businesses. And it's a tragedy.

I want folks in all these States to know, we're going to get through this. We're going to get through this together and the Federal government is not going to walk away.

This is one of those times when we aren't Democrats or Republicans. It sounds like hyperbole, but it's real. We're all Americans, we stand together as the United States of America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: And earlier, the President approved Kentucky's request for Federal emergency assistance, freeing up tens of millions of dollars for the Commonwealth. Right now, FEMA is arriving on the scene to assess the damage and find out where help is needed and there is a lot of help that is needed right here in my home state of Kentucky.

Joining us now is FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell. Deanne, thank you for joining us, what is the latest on these emergency efforts?

DEANNE CRISWELL, FEMA ADMINISTRATOR: Hi, Pamela, thanks so much for giving me an opportunity to come on this evening.

You know, as you heard from the Illinois Governor, as you're seeing there in Kentucky, the devastation from this storm is widespread, damages across six states, and we are hearing reports of fatalities in five of those states. And my heart and my prayers go out to all of the families that have been impacted by this.

What I can say right now is our first responders that are out there in all of these communities are doing heroic efforts to try to continue the life-saving mission, and try to find anybody that is still trapped that they can rescue.

We are prepared to come in and support states as they need assistance. And as you heard the President did give an emergency declaration to the Commonwealth of Kentucky earlier today, and we have resources en route there right now, some already on scene.

BROWN: We heard there from the Illinois official that it is now a search and recovery effort there at the Amazon warehouse. You said first responders are still working at this hour trying to find survivors. Do you realistically believe that more survivors will be found at this point? As you know, it is nightfall. It is cold, and the damage and destruction is widespread.

CRISWELL: Now, I think that the damages in each of the States is very different and very unique to the different buildings that they have. Each jurisdiction is going to make the determine on whether they're in search and rescue mode or they're moving into search and recovery, but we're going to continue to send assistance in to help with retrieving everybody that has been impacted by this event.

BROWN: What is FEMA doing to help all of those people who were out of a home right now because of these tornadoes?

CRISWELL: Yes, we have seen from the images of the devastation across all of these communities, and what I have experienced in my time in emergency management is that many people will stay with friends and family. Neighbors come together and they help each other out, and it is truly remarkable about the resilience and the support that they get.

I do know that states are setting up shelters for those that don't have a place to go and they are setting up reunification centers to help find their loved ones, and FEMA is going to be able to come in right now in Kentucky to help with any of the unmet needs that they have if they don't have a place to go or the states haven't set up or they can't get to a shelter.

BROWN: And you spoke with Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, what did he tell you the state is most in need of right now?

CRISWELL: Yes, I did speak with the Governor earlier today and we just talked about the devastation that they are seeing, and we talked a lot about the long-term needs that the communities are going to face with their need for long-term housing.

You know, as we just discussed the short-term needs, but we're already working with the State Director to identify what the strategies are going to be to help these communities recover and rebuild.

BROWN: As you said, the devastation is different depending on where you are, but right here where I am in Mayfield, Kentucky, I mean, this town is decimated.

How long do you think the recovery will be in a place like where I am right now?

CRISWELL: You know, and again, the recovery I haven't seen it yet, which is why I'm traveling with Secretary Mayorkas tomorrow, so I can see firsthand what the impacts are going to be. But we know that the devastation from these storms is getting more intense and the recovery can take a long time.

But the Federal government FEMA is going to be there working with the Commonwealth of Kentucky as we start to rebuild and talk about how we can rebuild more resilient perhaps in the future.

BROWN: All right, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell, thank you very much.

CRISWELL: Thank you, Pamela.

[18:30:10]

BROWN: The Congressman who represents Mayfield, Kentucky is with me here on the scene and we'll talk live with Rep. James Comer next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:34:18]

BROWN: And we're back here in Mayfield, Kentucky. The hardest-hit region among six states battered by dozens of deadly tornadoes overnight. And the view from above is just as ominous as it is here at ground level, at least 70 people are feared dead in this state alone.

Kentucky's Governor believes that number will rise significantly, perhaps even reaching over 100 deaths. He says this tornado track is the longest on record, more than 200 miles long.

In Tennessee, where a woman was rescued from a mobile home destroyed by the storms, at least four people are now confirmed dead. The Governor there will update everyone on the disaster shortly and we're going to bring that to you live.

[18:35:02]

And in Arkansas, a tornado tore through this nursing home, at least two people were killed in that State.

Missouri, Mississippi and Illinois were also hit. Illinois Governor confirmed moments ago that six people have been killed in the collapse of an Amazon warehouse. President Biden said this afternoon that this is likely to be one of the largest tornado outbreaks in the nation's history.

I want to bring in the Congressman who represents Mayfield, Kentucky, James Comer joins me now.

Congressman, I'm sure you're getting updates. You have been touring the devastation. It is just heartbreaking. But yet first responders are out there. They are working as night falls, as temperatures drop and they're still trying to find survivors.

REP. JAMES COMER (R-KY): They're not going to give up. This is a small town. Everyone knows everyone. Most of these first responders are volunteers. They worked in normal jobs all day yesterday and then this happened last night. They've been on the scene all night and all day, so they've gone 48 hours and they're not going to stop until everybody's been accounted for.

BROWN: As you walk around and see this town, this wonderful special town of Mayfield just decimated. What do you feel?

COMER: It's just terrible. This community has such a great sense of pride. The local people have really invested a lot in revitalizing the downtown area. A lot of rural towns in America have been kind of let go. But this community's always really invested a lot in making it look nice. They had the prettiest Christmas decorations up last night.

It's just so sad to see, I mean, so much devastation. I've seen tornadoes, I've seen long tornadoes. I've never seen one this wide that just took out so much property.

BROWN: I haven't either. I have covered a lot of storm damage in my career. This is by far the worst that I have seen. What struck me though, as I was driving in here is how the people in the community are helping each other building, repairing roofs, really trying to have a hand in the rebuilding. But what do you think in terms of the recovery of Mayfield?

COMER: Well, this community will rebuild. It's going to take a long time, not just the downtown area was devastated. If you go several blocks, all the homes were either destroyed or uninhabitable now. So it's just damage that's going to take a long time to rebuild. But the people in this community will rebuild, they will be back. But right now, obviously, the focus is on recovering everyone who's hopefully still alive and just trapped. BROWN: You talked about the homes that are uninhabitable. Where can

people go? As I say as it's cold, it's dark, where can they go right now for shelter?

BROWN: Well, a lot of people have friends and family that do have electricity in different communities in the area. They've gone there. There are temporary shelters in the schools, the state parks. This is in the land between the lakes region, there are several state parks. They are open now for anyone who needs a place to stay.

All the hotels are booked up. So I think just about everyone that looking for a place to stay has found one but neighbors are opening their homes up to their fellow neighbors.

BROWN: What updates can you give us about the candle factory? We heard from Gov. Beshear earlier that at least 40 people were rescued there from the candle factory, 110 where there at the time the tornado came through at 9:30 at night here in Mayfield. What is the latest there? Do you know if there was a warning inside? If there was somewhere that they could shelter? What can you tell us?

COMER: There was a warning. It's my understanding from talking to some people who were in there at the time. Many of them were congregated in an area. Unfortunately, that's one of the areas where the roof collapsed, but several people got warning and left. And those were part of the ones that were unaccounted for earlier today.

So I think there's still many, many that are unaccounted for but I don't think that the death loss there is going to be as high as we first feared.

BROWN: Why do you say that?

COMER: Because a lot of people that they thought were unaccounted for this morning, they found out later throughout the day they left during the night or whenever the storm hit, they left. And so it's just - it's in town. There are a lot of people that walk to work there. So they didn't have cars and things like that. It's still just devastating. It's going to be probably the biggest loss of life of any workplace in recent memory.

BROWN: IT certainly is. In terms of the candle factory, I don't know if you know the answer to this, but I'll ask was there a basement somewhere that they could go. And when you say there was a warning, what do you mean by that? Was it just beyond the weather warning, which we know came around 20 minutes before?

COMER: Well, I know the local TV station in Paducah had had been on top of the storm and had been issuing warnings. In little town, a few have scanners in their cell phone. So I think many of the people there knew what was going to happen, the siren goes off in town.

[18:40:02]

People that live in town have an advantage in tornadoes because they can hear the tornado siren go off. In the communities, they obviously couldn't hear that in the rural communities. So there was warning, it's my understanding that they did know and they went, it's my understanding, to the place where they were supposed to go in the case of a tornado.

BROWN: All right. Congressman Comer, thank you for your time. I'm so sorry about what has happened in your district and in our home state. It is heartbreaking. We are surrounded by grief and by sorrow right now. You can just feel it. It's just awful.

COMER: Yes. Well, thank you for being here covering it.

BROWN: Thank you.

My next guest was trapped inside a factory that disintegrated around her as she tried to shelter from a deadly storm. That is the actual factory you're seeing right now, completely flattened. She'll talk about her miraculous escape and how she was freed from the rubble when we come back.

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[18:45:29]

BROWN: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Pamela Brown live in Mayfield, Kentucky where the devastation from a series of tornadoes is staggering. Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear says at least 70 people are feared dead, but he thinks that number could be above 100 before the day ends.

At the candle factory just a few miles away from me, local officials say about 40 people are still unaccounted for. The building was flattened overnight burying employees in the rubble. Fortunately, some workers were able to be rescued.

I want to bring in someone who survived being trapped in the debris at that candle factory right here in Kentucky not far from where I am in Mayfield, Kyanna Parsons-Perez joins us by phone.

Kyanna, wow, you were buried under at least five feet of debris before making it out, how are you doing, both physically and emotionally right now?

KYANNA PARSONS-PEREZ, TRAPPED IN RUBBLE DURING TORNADO: Physically, I'm okay. I'm okay. Emotionally, I'm less okay. It's been rough getting - I mean, I went to the hospital, I saw people there and they were telling me what happened to some of our co workers or some of the other people and that has been really, really hard.

BROWN: I cannot even imagine how hard that is. You said that things happen very quickly. It was like a house of cards falling in just a matter of seconds. Tell us more about what it was like.

PARSONS-PEREZ: It was absolutely the most terrifying experience that I've ever been in, because my feet were completely stuck. At first, I'm a very kind of easygoing person in uncertain times. So I wasn't getting all worked up about it. I'm like, yes, we've been in million storms, with this building, surely we'll be okay.

And then we start feeling weird and then my ears started to pop. And then it was like the whole build. And we rocked back and forth and then boom, everything just collapsed.

BROWN: And then what happened in that moment to you?

PARSONS-PEREZ: It was like is this really happening, like in my mind I couldn't really - then one of my co-workers, she was in there. She's like, oh, my god. I'm going back. I'm going back. Call my family. Tell them I love them. I'm like, "Girl, shut up. We're not talking like that. We will not talk like that. We're not dead."

And I started talking, I say, it's almost my birthday. We're not dying today. I said they're couldn't get us out of here. We're just going to stay calm and then I called 911 and they told me that they knew and that it was - people were trying to get to us. And so she didn't make it sound too convincing, because I knew.

She was like, there was just a lot of damage going, that had happened and so at that point, I said, well, I'm going to go live, because maybe we can - other people know. We can get some more help to get out here. And that's when I went on Facebook Live and made - I went live about just while I was in there.

And that video winded up going viral so it was scary. I was cool at that point. Like when I was live, I was cool. But there was a point where I completely lost it. I was panicking. My mother said I asked her where is god. And that's not like me because I'm a very - I believe that God is - God is God. And so, my faith wavered a little bit but not for too much and not for too long and God showed up and we got out of there.

BROWN: Wow. It's amazing. You describe how you were trying to calm your co-worker down in that moment saying, look, it's my birthday. This isn't going to happen. How were you able to do that during such a terrifying ordeal?

PARSONS-PEREZ: Because we all can lose it. That would have been any of us (inaudible) service. So the best thing to do is to try to calm down when that was going on.

[18:50:02]

We were all completely trapped under there so we were trying to get everybody to calm down, breathe slow, not get too worked up and then they started pulling back from the debris and we started getting fresh air. But before that we just had that - I mean, we're talking about drywall, the insulation, all that pink insulation and stuff like that and we're just sitting there breathing all of that.

So the best thing and even when I talked to the 911 person, she was saying, y'all try to stay calm. Don't try to move yourselves and things like that, so I was trying to follow directions.

BROWN: I mean, just incredible. You were able to keep your cool and calm during this just nightmare experience. Before the tornado came through and decimated the building, walk us through any kind of warning or efforts for the employees there in the factory to go to a safer shelter. Was there any action in that regard?

PARSONS-PEREZ: There was. There was. We were back there before the tornado hit. We were probably there, maybe 15, 20 minutes we were already there before hit, because they were taking attendance. The different heads of the different departments and saying we're taking attendance to make sure all of the workers were accounted for.

And so we were all in the back of the building where the bathrooms are. And we were all back there and it's like - it's a long hallway and almost like a T shaped area where we were at. And so we were back there and we were just - people were sitting. I was standing up.

And then once we start filling up and wind come, I heard someone say, "Everybody get down, get down." And so that's when we started to get down. But everything happened so fast.

BROWN: Kyanna Parsons-Perez, thank you. Happy birthday. I'm sorry that you have had to experience this on your birthday. But, man, you are an inspiration with your positive attitude after what you just went through today here in Mayfield. Thank you so much for sharing your story, your experience and that we wish you the best of luck in your recovery, physically and emotionally.

PARSONS-PEREZ: Thank you so much. Thank you for having me.

BROWN: Thank you. Well, it is already the deadliest December day for tornadoes on record going right back to the 1950s and communities like Dawson Springs here in Kentucky, hard-hit and for the governor, it is deeply personal.

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GOV. ANDY BESHEAR (D) KENTUCKY: My dad's hometown of Dawson Springs, population 2,700. They're going to lose a whole lot of people. One block from my grandparents' house, there's no house standing. There's no house standing and we don't know where all those people are.

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[18:57:45]

BROWN: Welcome back to the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Pamela Brown and we are continuing to follow the devastation out of the Midwest and Southeast. The full scale of damage is still unknown and the death toll continues to rise. At least two people were killed in Arkansas, including one at this nursing home. The state's governor says, while this is heartbreaking, it could have been so much worse.

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GOV. ASA HUTCHINSON (R) ARKANSAS: The volunteers that are there and the ones that responded in the middle of the night from pharmacists that help with medication to the owner and the state police and school officials that helped move these residents to other places where they could be safe. That's why everybody was pulled together and that's what we could see and that's really the point of gratitude that we have.

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BROWN: And ahead I'll speak with a woman who saw the massive tornadoes move through this area. Stay with us.

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