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Survivors Pick Through Debris Left By Devastating Tornadoes That Hit Eight States; Man Hides In Bathtub To Survive Tornado; Interview With Rep. James Comer (R-KY) About The Devastating Tornadoes; Communities In Shock After Deadly Tornadoes; As U.S. Preps For Omicron, Hospitals Still Battling Delta Variant; 15th Annual CNN Heroes All-Star Tribute To 2021 CNN Heroes. Aired 6-7p ET
Aired December 12, 2021 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[18:00:22]
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST (voice-over): A massive rescue and recovery effort now underway after violent tornadoes tore a path of destruction through eight states.
GOV. ANDY BESHEAR (D), KENTUCKY: I think it's going to be the longest and deadliest tornado event in U.S. history.
BROWN: Dozens of people still unaccounted for after a Kentucky candle factory was completely leveled.
SHANIYAH MCREYNOLDS, CANDLE FACTORY EMPLOYEE: I would be down there digging if they could let me. I can't do anything but sit and wait.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our factory was built as manufacturing facility. And the concrete walls and the steel frame and the structure, you would have thought it could have been one of the safest places, but ironically, as you can see with this devastation, there wasn't anything safe about this storm.
BROWN: Meantime, six people now known to have died when a tornado hit an Amazon warehouse. Among them, Navy veteran Clayton Kope.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're taking care of our own employees, making sure they have everything they need. And we're reaching out to the families of those we lost.
BROWN: Now the country's top climate experts warning extreme weather is becoming our new normal.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The effects that we're seeing from climate change are the crisis of our generation.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN: I'm Pamela Brown in Mayfield, Kentucky, one of the many communities devastated but not defeated by this weekend's outbreak of deadly tornadoes. Here in Mayfield, there are still hopes for a miracle that search
crews will find at least one survivor buried in the rubble of a candle factory. Dozens of people are still missing tonight.
This town of 10,000 is among the hardest hit from the factory to the farmland to the once picturesque downtown, a few buildings are left standing. I've walked around downtown today. I've seen Christmas decorations strewn about, mountains of rubble that were once these beautiful historic buildings no longer here.
The heads of Homeland Security and FEMA are in the region today. They are bringing much-needed federal resources. More than 80 people are feared dead, but Kentucky's governor says the flood of support has eased the heartbreak somewhat.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BESHEAR: We're grateful for the outpouring of love. It's the best way I can describe it, from all over the country and from all walks of life. I want to thank everybody for standing with the people of Kentucky. We feel it. In fact, one of our biggest challenges right now is organizing the amount of people that want to help, want to donate and want to volunteer, but you know what? That's the best challenge that any of us can ask for.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: And that is so true. I've seen it firsthand here in Mayfield, people just want to help. This is such a resilient, tight-knit community.
I want to turn to Edwardsville, Illinois, about 200 miles from here. Crews have removed mountains of debris from an Amazon warehouse. Six people died when a tornado tore into the building and the walls of 11- inch-thick concrete crumbled and collapsed.
Our correspondents are on the scene of those areas shattered by the tornadoes. They're following all the latest developments. Let's begin in Bowling Green, Kentucky, a city reeling from widespread destruction. CNN's Nick Valencia is there.
And Nick, I know FEMA teams arrived there today. What are they doing to help?
NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. We've seen FEMA here, we've seen the Red Cross, and of course teams from the National Guard here as well, going through this debris, trying to clear out these homes to make sure that there are, you know, no signs of life inside, that they're making sure that nothing has been left behind, and going door to door, really, to clear out these -- what's left of these homes.
There is so much that this community needs here. You know, it's been just over 24 hours since, you know, a series of tornadoes made their way through here in this state, and we've been speaking so much about what happened in Mayfield. We can't overlook what happened here in Bowling Green, in this subdivision where we're at. It's really one of the hardest hits in this city. And we've been
hearing these just traumatizing stories of survival. We spoke to one man who was in his car when the tornado hit. His family trapped inside and the roof collapsed on his small children, and from the luck he says, the grace of God, he says, there was a refrigerator that was turned over that kept the roof from collapsing fully on his family.
We just spoke to another man who said that it was a trailer, a container from his father's big rig that he feels stopped the force of the tornado from leveling his home. You look to the left and to the right of his home, his neighbors' houses just leveled. Just, you know, all that's left is debris.
And you talk about the volunteers, Pamela, you know, the federal response, but there is also a local response. And I want to bring in one of those locals here.
[18:05:05]
Meg Dillingham, you live just a block away here, a few blocks away. And you came here actually flew in from Boston to help out this community. Tell us what you're seeing.
MEGAN DILLINGHAM, HELPING STORM SURVIVORS: Yes. It's pretty heartbreaking. I grew up here. Bowling Green native.
VALENCIA: What was it like to see your city like this?
DILLINGHAM: It's pretty crazy. It was scary yesterday, you know, because I was still in Boston and I saw the videos and stuff, and it's like, I didn't even recognize the places.
VALENCIA: You know, we're hearing stories of survival but also, you know, just really devastating stories of some that didn't make it, some small children. What do you know? I mean, what have you been hearing from residents here?
DILLINGHAM: I don't know a whole lot. I know a lot of people are still missing. I know I've spent a long time cleaning up over there with so many, so many volunteers.
VALENCIA: And as terrible as that looks, I mean, there's homes all around here that are just, just gone.
DILLINGHAM: Yes. No, I've seen places completely wiped over. The building over there just collapsed.
VALENCIA: And you know, I mean, we come in as this national team to these cities and we showcased just how bad it is. But tell us what this place is. What does Bowling Green stand for?
DILLINGHAM: Bowling Green is a really diverse place. And it holds a lot of really wonderful people and a lot of really important communities from a lot of places around the world. And a lot of hardworking people who worked really hard in this community are -- they're really suffering. VALENCIA: Well, Meg, thank you so much for what you're doing, for
volunteering. We know you found a cell phone earlier that you gave to the police, so I'm sure someone is going to be very grateful for that.
This was a huge event that happened here, just about 24 hours ago. Something that people here, some of them will remember for the rest of their lives -- Pamela.
BROWN: Yes. They'll certainly never forget it. I've talked to so many people here today who said this is just like a dream to them. They just can't believe this has happened to their town, to their home that they've lost. Mayfield, and town like it, they now face this massive rebuilding challenge.
I just asked the governor of Kentucky if they will be able to incorporate new safety measures in case a storm like this hits again.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: Will you look to rebuild in a way that make sure that there are more safety structures in place in the event of more tornadoes?
BESHEAR: Right. I mean, every time we build, we want to be more resilient. We don't want to see this ever happen again. With that, I think when it's all said and done, when they evaluate the power of this tornado, I think it's pretty hard to build a structure that can ultimately hold up to it. Whether these structures have been brick or wood or steel, some of these even metal buildings, they're gone.
When this tornado hit, it didn't take a roof off, which is what we see in the past, it exploded the whole house. People, animals, and the rest just gone. So yes, we need to rebuild and be more resilient. Yes, there were a lot of warnings, but this thing is so powerful that I don't think there is any blame. We are just people together trying to move forward.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: And we keep hearing these incredible stories of survival here in Mayfield. I spoke to Charles Sherill a short time ago. He rode out the storm by sheltering in his bathtub.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN: So this is your house. Where is the bathtub? That's where you were right in there? Look at this. You were right in there.
CHARLES SHERILL, RODE OUT TORNADO IN HIS BATHTUB: Laying down right there.
BROWN: Look, right in there. And what were you thinking when --
SHERILL: I was just praying. Praying that, you know, that God would take care of me and that my kids and family were OK.
BROWN: Where were your kids and the rest of your family? SHERILL: They was in another house, a couple of blocks over. They was
OK. It did hardly no damage over there. (INAUDIBLE).
BROWN: You must be feeling really lucky to be alive?
SHERILL: My first cousin lives across the street here, we had to get him out.
BROWN: He had to get you out of there?
SHERILL: Yes. Because I couldn't see.
BROWN: Did you have any -- so this basically almost protected you, though.
SHERILL: The wall of this house fell on top of the tub and has pretty much protected me from the rest of the stuff. But the house was right here.
BROWN: It was over there?
SHERILL: That's the foundation, it shifted all the way up the road. There's the foundation. It wasn't right here. This is the driveway.
BROWN: And you live right next to the train tracks. You said it sounded like a train was coming through.
SHERILL: It sounded like a train. Yes. I'm just thankful to be alive and thankful that, you know, my kid and my family and thankful for the ones that did make it, you know, and I'm sorry for the ones that didn't make it. Again, that's where I was.
BROWN: I'm so sorry you're having to go through this. I can't imagine looking at --
SHERILL: Pretty much -- but the only problem I really had, I guess, when the tornado hit, the water pipes busted and I was close to drowning.
BROWN: Wait, (INAUDIBLE)?
[18:10:02]
SHERILL: The water line.
BROWN: Yes?
SHERILL: See they busted and the water was just shooting to the tub and I almost drowned (INAUDIBLE).
BROWN: And then what happened? It just stopped?
SHERILL: I got out. Water up to here, I couldn't see because it was so dark. Then I had my first cousin helped get me out.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP) BROWN: As you see, Charles lost his home and among his belongings, he also can't find his medicine that he desperately needs. For those residents here in Mayfield who are just like him, don't have those important things like medicine, there is a mobile pharmacy that I'm told that's going to be en route here in Mayfield very soon to help those residents.
We know that Mayfield is the seat of Graves County. And joining me now is the Graves County clerk Kim Gills, along with Sheriff Jon Hayden. Excuse me. First of all, I want to just ask you how you're doing.
KIM GILLS, GRAVES COUNTY CLERK: A little bit overwhelmed. That's about the only way I can describe it.
SHERIFF JON HAYDEN, GRAVES COUNTY, KENTUCKY: Well, obviously we're devastated. We feel like that, you know, we've taken a punch in the stomach. However, we know that other communities have come out of this type of thing before.
BROWN: Yes.
HAYDEN: And I'm very confident that we will as well, it's just going to be a long road to get there.
BROWN: I know you're still in the stage of just processing everything, and Sheriff, you lost a deputy who was at the candle factory. What are you going through right now?
HAYDEN: Well, I've talked about devastation. It's that on so many levels. You know, we can't even operate our business office. We've lost our office, which is minor compared to what a lot of folks are going through, but there's so many families hurting here. They've lost loved ones, they've lost their ability to survive as far, you know, financial. They can't work, they lost their homes. It's just hard to wrap your head around how serious this situation is here.
BROWN: The sheer magnitude. And Kim, we were talking earlier today. You're the clerk at the courthouse that is severely damaged. And it was really incredible to see all of these clerks from around Kentucky come to help you because you have a critical mission now.
GILLS: Yes. I had Montgomery County showed up, and Anderson County, Franklin County, McCracken County showed up to help me.
BROWN: And what have you been doing?
GILLS: We've been -- I've been getting a lot of my deeds out, my voter registration. Just all of my critical stuff that I have to have, getting it out and placing it where we're going to be at.
BROWN: And some of these documents are hundreds of years old, right?
GILLS: Yes. Yes, I started Friday, coming in Friday night afterwards and trying to get stuff out because we didn't what was going to happen with the courthouse and I just started getting stuff out and getting ready. BROWN: And I want to ask you, Sheriff, there's clearly the search and
rescue efforts going on at the candle factory. Can you bring us up to speed on the latest there?
HAYDEN: Well, I can say there are some agencies from other parts of Kentucky and even other states that are here assisting in that effort. It's being worked in a very meticulous manner. We have a lot of folks here that are assisting that. They're very good at what they do. And I think we all want it done right and we want it done right the first time for the families of those involved. I think that effort is going to continue for probably another few days before they'll be -- their mission will be completed out there.
BROWN: I've seen your tears swell up in your eyes. For those watching right now, what else do you want to add, Kim? What do you want people to know?
GILLS: I just want them to know that we're all here as a team, and we're going to get through this. Just keep your faith and things will get better. It's just going to take a while.
BROWN: It's just incredible to see the resilience of everyone. I'm so proud as a fellow Kentuckian just to see it. I saw one young man there at the courthouse today, and I was remarking just everyone was getting to work. And he said, well, you're from here, you know how we are. And it's so true, it's been incredible to see.
Kim, Sheriff Hayden, you have pulled together in such an amazing way in the face of this. Thank you both so much.
And for more information about how you can help tornado victims go to CNN.com/impact.
[18:15:04]
And when we come back, Kentucky Congressman James Comer joining me here with an update on rescue and recovery in his devastated community. Also tonight, new date on Omicron, as the United Kingdom reports its first hospitalizations linked to the variant. And next hour, a shock announcement. Longtime FOX anchor Chris Wallace heads to CNN.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRIS WALLACE, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: I want to try something new to go beyond politics to all the things I'm interested in. I'm ready for a new adventure and I hope you'll check it out.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: It is a race against time here in Kentucky. Right now rescuers are digging through rubble with machines and by hand, searching for signs of life after catastrophic tornadoes left entire communities in shambles. More than 80 people, including children, they are feared dead, most right here in Kentucky.
[18:20:03]
The governor says more than 1,000 homes are destroyed and dozens of people are still missing. Some of the worst damage is here in Mayfield. The destruction stretches for blocks, further than the eye can see.
I want to bring in the congressman who represents this part of Kentucky, James Comer.
Thank you for joining us again. I'm sure you've been getting the very latest updates. First off, what can you tell us where things stand?
REP. JAMES COMER (R-KY): Well, we're still trying to rescue some people. Well, we still have hope that there are a few people scattered in some of these homes that we've just not been able to get the cadaver dogs over. And we're still hopeful that people can be rescued, but obviously we're still having to recover a lot, too.
BROWN: Can you give us any updates about the candle factory and what is going on there?
COMER: Well, I was there today with Secretary Mayorkas and we toured it. And there's crews going 24/7 still trying to recover. We know that a lot of the people that were unaccounted for yesterday have been accounted for. They left for various reasons. Obviously they wanted to go home and check on their families, and they go to homes that are no longer standing. So it took 24 hours to try to locate a lot of the people, but there are still a few unaccounted for there.
BROWN: Is it still a search and rescue operation there? Or is it now search and recovery?
COMER: It is still a search and rescue. There is still hope that there may be one or two people in there. But, you know, we all know the temperature, and this is the second day going into the third day, so --
BROWN: I've been going around Mayfield today talking with folks, and it's been interesting. Several people, as I walked up to them, said, are you FEMA? You know, they're just so desperate for help, and I know you have so many resources here from the federal government, the local government. But just walk us through what is being done to help the good folks here in Mayfield and beyond?
COMER: Well, everybody is working together. This is a cooperation between the state and federal. We had the FEMA director here, too, today. We're going to try to have a FEMA liaison in every county that was affected. And we met privately with the local officials to make sure that we're on the same page and they were telling them about taking pictures and keeping receipts and doing things like that, so I think that there's going to be more information and more compliance coming.
But my office is here until we know that there's going to be a lot of paperwork. And this is not going to be done in a few days. This is going to be several years' worth of cleanup, worth of paperwork trying to get reimbursed. The tax pays was completely wiped out in cities like Mayfield. So it's going to require a lot of assistance from the federal government. And I think we're all on board on the federal delegation. I know Senator McConnell is, and we're going to do everything we can to help the people here in West Kentucky.
BROWN: And just quickly, people who need their medicine, that is something I also encountered today. What do you tell them?
COMER: Well, we're trying to help -- I spoke on the phone today with Postmaster General DeJoy. The post office was completely destroyed here and it served most of this county. So they're going to try to reroute the mail from Paducah into here. It takes a couple of days but everybody is trying to pitch in and help, and I know that the locals are trying to reach out to the patients of some of the pharmacies that know they need medicine at certain time and trying to help deliver medicine and everybody is trying to pitch in and help here.
BROWN: I know everyone is focused on this immediate emergency, right? I mean, people out of homes, trying to find survivors. But there's also looking ahead, too, and rebuilding, and what this means, this extreme weather event. I spoke to the FEMA administrator earlier today, and she told me that these extreme weather events are the new normal. We know in Kentucky this is historic.
In the past you have denied global warming, climate change. Does this whole experience, being here, knowing what happened, does it make you reassess your view?
COMER: Well, I mean, I care about the environment. I'm a farmer. I consider myself a conservationist, and I think that we're doing things on the federal level to try to make sure there are no bad actors or no polluters. Nobody wants water that is not clean. We recognize that there are storms and tornadoes. And, you know, we just passed the worst tornado in the history of Kentucky and the previous one was in the late 1800s.
So unfortunately, tornadoes always happen, but I think that it's a role of Congress to make sure that we're doing things we can legislatively to reduce carbon emissions and do things to protect and preserve the environment for the next generation.
BROWN: OK. We have to leave it there. Congressman Comer, thank you so much for that.
Homes destroyed, priceless memories gone, and countless communities in shock. Our CNN family was not spared. Political commentator Scott Jennings joins me next. The storm totaled his childhood home.
[18:24:48]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: As night falls, hopes are dimming of finding any more survivors. Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear is clearly frustrated that he can't do any more.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BESHEAR: The challenge is, we'll have the reports to come in. We'll try to compile and move forward. I know in Bowling Green that's being done by some volunteers that are to create the list. In Dawson Springs, it was multiple pages, single-spaced with communications down as the real challenge, right? When your cell phones don't work in these communities, exactly how do you find people to truly know how many are missing? And again, we're 40 hours in and just the level of devastation does make having the specific numbers I know you want just difficult to have.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: Meantime, this is what's left of the western Kentucky town of Dawson Springs, homes to about 2700 people.
[18:30:03]
The governor also has a personal connection there. It was nearly flattened. The storm uprooted trees and reduced homes to rubble.
And one of my CNN colleagues is dealing firsthand with the shock of the devastation in his home state and hometown. CNN political commentator Scott Jennings right here with me.
Scott, you grew up in Dawson Springs right near where we are right now. Your parents' home, your grandparents' home both obliterated. We're showing some footage that you shot earlier today. It is just devastation from start to finish. I do want to emphasize fortunately your dad did make it out safely. How is he doing today?
SCOTT JENNINGS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: He's doing OK, thanks for asking. And this footage you're seeing right now I shot from my truck window. That's the street of Oak Heights. My dad grew up there, I grew up there, my dad lives there now, and all the three different houses that any of us ever inhabited are all destroyed. It's just shocking when you think about the way it looked and the way you remember things, you know, from your childhood, and really the way you remember things from just a few weeks ago when you, you know, you visited.
BROWN: Right.
JENNINGS: You know, I pulled up in my dad's driveway today, and you know, intellectually I knew it was the right house, but it was so disfigured. You know, the porch was gone, the garage was gone, the carport was gone, all the trees are gone. I called him, he was about to pull in, I said, am I in the right driveway? Because it just -- you know, it just didn't register for me that this could possibly be the same place.
He and I were able to go through some of the rubble. You couldn't get in the front so we had to go around the back. We had to climb over some debris and we were able to pull out some old photos and things that he wanted to save. And we were able to do that. And honestly, I think he's just sort of still in shock and going through his own stuff. But then you walk outside and you look around, and -- I mean, he said earlier today, until you stand here and look at it, it's hard to process, and he was right. When I pulled into town, I'm still shocked by what I saw.
BROWN: Yes, it is like a scene out of a, you know, a war movie. You can't believe that this is what happened in your own hometown, your own home state, for me as a Kentuckian. I will say it's been really inspiring for me, though not surprising to see just the resilience of some people. I mean, I've just talked to so many people who lost their homes but said it could have been so much worse. They still have smiles on their face. It's pretty incredible.
JENNINGS: No question. I saw a lot of people out today, you know, they had their chainsaws out and they were getting stuff out of their house. And they were, you know, they were moving forward. And they were trying to figure out how to move forward with the circumstances they had been handed. Right behind where my dad lives, and I had a little bit of video this, and I think I saw it on drone footage as well.
There's an apartment complex, though, and I'd tell you, it's hard to look at that and wonder if there were people in there, you know, what happened to them when that thing hit and flattened that structure. I did talk to some police officers in Dawson as I pulled into town today, and I know they had the cadaver dogs and the search and rescue teams out going door to door, essentially.
There are still a lot of missing people. I personally heard the names of some folks who lived on that street where I was today that didn't make it. I don't think they've announced all that yet, but if you get up close to it and you see the condition of these structures, and some houses were just totally vaporized. The only thing left is a foundation. Houses were spun on the foundation. Some of the cars were obviously picked up and tossed.
I mean, the amount of force that would be required to do this kind of damage is just, it's hard to fathom, you know, if you've never been in anything like this before, and who has? I mean, the historic nature of this is such that even if you're an avid weather watcher, how could you ever predict something like this, let alone something in your own hometown. So my dad is doing OK, and most of my family that I've been able to track down is OK.
They're just shell-shocked, and I think they're all starting to think about what comes next for a town like Dawson or Mayfield, or these other little towns in west Kentucky, you know, a lot of them are, you know, sort of barely hanging on before something like this.
BROWN: After a pandemic, no less.
JENNINGS: Yes, I mean, you know, these -- this is an old coal mining town. Not a lot of industry. The one big industry building that is in Dawson Springs, that they've been trying to put industry in for years, it was totally destroyed. And so you just start to think about the future and you know, what does a little town like this do when you know it's going to take years to rebuild, you know, even a portion of this.
BROWN: Well, the good news is that the entire country stands behind your hometown, Mayfield, and we know the fund that's been set up here in Kentucky now has more than $2 million raised. We hope that, you know, money will continue to pour in to help folks like the residents in Dawson Springs, here, Bowling Green, all over, really.
Thank you so much, Scott, for sharing your personal story. I can't imagine just pulling up to your childhood home and that visual reaction, that emotion that would overtake you.
[18:35:02]
JENNINGS: Yes. It was hard to see, but I have to say, and I have to compliment the governor. I talked to Senator McConnell, I talked to Congressman Comer, who was just here. I think the level of cooperation going on between the branches of government, the parties, it's really impressive and it speaks well I think of our people that we've elected folks who were willing to set aside, you know, what you would normally consider to be differences and really band together for folks who really are in desperate need.
The fund is important, also blood donations I'm told are important, so if you want to help, that's the way to do it.
BROWN: There are ways to help. Thank you so much, Scott.
JENNINGS: Thanks, Pam.
BROWN: While people here are struggling just to put their lives back together. New information tonight that we just got about the Omicron variant, that's coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:40:21]
BROWN: Welcome to the CNN NEWSROOM. More on the devastation here in Kentucky. But first I want to share some new data that we have tonight about the Omicron variant. The U.S. now approaching the 15 million mark in COVID cases. And we're just shy of 800,000 deaths. On vaccines, nearly 61 percent of all people in the country have gotten their shots. But far fewer, just a quarter, have received a booster.
That's a problem because while we still have a lot to learn about the Omicron variant, experts say the vaccine is the best way to protect against it. Today British officials reported the first hospitalization from the new strain of the coronavirus. And a short time ago, Prime Minister Boris Johnson sounded the alarm.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Omicron is doubling here in the U.K. every two to three days. And we know from bitter experience how these exponential curves develop. No one should be in any doubt there is a tidal wave of Omicron coming. (END OF VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: But earlier hospital data out of South Africa paints a more optimistic picture showing the variant may be less dangerous than originally feared. That could be good news for U.S. hospitals as many are struggling to keep up with the still surging cases of the Delta variant.
Let's discuss all of this with Dr. Ashish Jha from Brown University's School of Public Health.
Thanks for joining us. So what have we learned about the Omicron variant so far?
DR. ASHISH JHA, DEAN, BROWN UNIVERSITY'S SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH: Yes, thank you, Pamela, for having me back. What we've learned so far is that two shots of a vaccine probably are not going to be enough to keep you from getting infected with this variant. But three shots, two shots plus a booster, helps a lot.
That's number one. Number two, I think what we're learning is that this is incredibly contagious. It is going to spread like wildfire across the United States, and we've got to be ready for it. And even if it's milder than previous versions, we don't know if it is, we're going to really have to figure out how to manage it in weeks ahead.
BROWN: What about for kids? Do we have any data on how it could impact kids?
JHA: Yes, there was some preliminary data early that maybe it's a bit more dangerous for kids. I haven't seen any data that really has panned out on that front. Obviously kids 5 and above can get vaccinated, and I think it's urgent that parents do that. But I remain pretty optimistic that kids under 5 who are not yet eligible, if they were to contract this will do OK.
BROWN: That is good to hear as a mom of two young kids. As you know, hospitals and states like Maine and New Hampshire, they are struggling to keep up with a surge in new cases. This morning, former FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb said that COVID hot spots should consider mask mandates to help out. What do you think? Is that a good idea?
JHA: I do think it's a good idea. Look, right now our health care system is stretched just because we've been at this for two years. And doctors and nurses are exhausted. Hospitals staff are short, you know, we just have a shortage of hospital staff. We need to do everything we can to keep hospitals open. I think mask mandates in places with big surges really can be helpful.
BROWN: All right. Dr. Ashish Jha, thank you so much.
JHA: Thank you, Pamela.
BROWN: Well, two sheriff's deputies are sharing their harrowing stories of surviving the deadly tornadoes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I believe it was a 2 x 4 that went through my windshield and then it sucked it back out.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: Their cars severely damaged, they still rushed into action to save a little girl. Their story, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:48:21]
BROWN: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Pamela Brown live in Mayfield, Kentucky, one of the epicenters of the destruction left behind by the deadly tornadoes that swept across eight states.
Along with the heartbreaking loss here, there are also stories of survival and selflessness emerging from the destruction. CNN's Brynn Gingras is here in Mayfield as well where one couple shared their ordeal with her.
So tell us, Brynn, what happened?
BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Pam, you know, these stories that we have been hearing of survival are just incredible. That particular couple that you're talking about, it's a couple with a 6-year-old daughter. They got warning about the storm coming to them from the news, decided to get out of their house, go around it and take shelter in a storm basement, and I want you to hear from them how they survived this storm.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAMANTHA BURNS, SURVIVED DEADLY TORNADO: Me and our daughter were sitting on that pallet. This door here is what kept us alive basically, along with him because he was holding it with a lanyard, just a lanyard.
DE'AMONTE WILLIAMS, SURVIVED DEADLY TORNADO: It felt like there were 10 grown men on the outside of this door trying to pull off the hinges.
GINGRAS: So he's holding the door shut.
BURNS: Yes.
GINGRAS: You're holding your 6-year-old daughter.
BURNS: Yes.
GINGRAS: Can you just describe being a mom?
BURNS: We were just -- I just told her to close her eyes and she started counting. So she's, like, hide and seek, mom?
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
[18:50:02]
GINGRAS: Just such emotional --
BROWN: I just lost Brynn Gingras there, but you know, it really is so devastating. As I've been going through Mayfield today. I've seen so many homes with -- that were just destroyed with baby supplies and, you know, baby chairs. And you just -- when you go by those homes you just hope and you pray that those children were OK, that they made it out of this alive and it's just so traumatizing for mothers like the one that Brynn interviewed, holding her daughter tight as this horrific tornado, historic tornado moved through.
Meantime, two Graves County police officers were out on patrol when one of the tornadoes struck their cars. Pieces of wood and other debris lodged in the windows including a 2 x 4 that went right through the windshield. One cruiser was lifted off the ground and spun sideways. And amazingly, though, both officers lived to tell the tale. Shortly after the tornado passed, a scream from a little girl snapped them into action.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When we heard the screaming, I ran back and grabbed my medic bag and then we took off to the house.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: By that time, Chief Deputy Jeremy Prince (PH) was coming to help us, he arrived and he said there was a girl inside that was bleeding profusely so we ran up there with our tourniquet and it appeared that her leg was seriously injured.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just muscle memory, just, you know, what I knew had to be done.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: The girl did have life threatening injuries but thanks to those officers, she's going to be OK.
We welcome those hopeful, inspiring stories but sadly there are many other stories from the storm that do not have a happy ending. Ahead, a mother shares her pain at losing her son, killed in the Amazon warehouse collapse.
You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:56:41]
BROWN: Tonight, eight people will be honored for changing the world, but only one will be named CNN Hero of the Year. The "15TH ANNUAL CNN HEROES ALL-STAR TRIBUTE" begins just an hour from now and the red carpet already getting very busy.
CNN's Vanessa Yurkevich joins me now. What's going on, there, Vanessa?
VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Pam. Well, the CNN Heroes just made their way down the red carpet. It's an extraordinary night, honoring 10 of them this evening from around the world. It is a very special evening because it is the 15th year but it's also a year since we did not have a red carpet, now the red carpet is back, so there's a lot of energy and excitement here.
One of those heroes who we spoke to a little earlier, David Flink, he started Eye to Eye, an organization that connects children with learning disabilities with mentors. So much of that work is person to person. And he told us, in order to continue their mission they had to change it a little bit during the pandemic. Here he was earlier.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID FLINK, TOP 10 CNN HERO OF 2021: There was a pandemic before the pandemic for kids with learning disabilities. They weren't being seen or heard or valued. So when suddenly we couldn't meet in person, we say, well, we have to figure out how they can be seen, so like most people, we did virtual meetings and figure out a way to create a community space online. And one of the good things about that is we actually have continued that work. So we now have a new group called the LD Alliance where young people can come together and find their allies.
Sometimes it's virtual, often it's back in person, thank God we can do that again. Still maybe behind a mask, but they can feel, seen and they know their voice matters.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
YURKEVICH: Now celebrities are going to start making their way down the red carpet shortly. Rachel Brosnahan from "The Wonderful Mrs. Maisel," also singer Josh Groban. They're going to be on stage introducing these 10 extraordinary heroes. Now each hero will walk away tonight with $10,000, and the Hero of the Year will walk away with $100,000 for their organization, but honestly, Pam, they're all winners tonight.
BROWN: All right, Vanessa Yurkevich, thank you so much, looking forward to it a little bit later.
And the "15TH ANNUAL CNN HEROES ALL-STAR TRIBUTE" hosted by Anderson Cooper and Kelly Ripa starts in one hour, 8:00 p.m. Eastern only on CNN. You're not going to want to miss that.
Well, this is a season of giving and one Rhode Island cafe is spreading the Christmas cheer in their community. A Facebook post from a single mother who couldn't afford a Christmas tree for her son caught the eye of the cafe's owner, and she and her husband went out, bought some trees, and placed them outside the cafe tree for anyone to have.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ALEXANDRA BOUTROZ, OWNER, CAF BAR: They were gone within an hour so then we said, OK, let's get a few more, and we'll get a few more, and then the community kind of jumped in and said, can I donate a tree? Hopefully we are helping to bring a little happiness into their home as well.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: Well, the trees are being given out no questions asked, if you need one, you can take it.
Your next hour of CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN (voice-over): A massive rescue and recovery effort now underway after violent tornadoes tore a path of destruction through eight states.
BESHEAR: I think it's going to be the longest and deadliest tornado event in U.S. history.
BROWN: Dozens of people still unaccounted for after a Kentucky candle factory was completely leveled.
SHANIYAH MCREYNOLDS, CANDLE FACTORY EMPLOYEE: I would be down there digging if they could let me.
