Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

At Least 100 People Feared Dead After Tornadoes Hit Eight States; Kentucky Governor Gives Update After Deadly Weekend Tornadoes. Aired 10-10:30a ET

Aired December 13, 2021 - 10:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:00:00]

ERICA HILL, CNN NEWSROOM: A good Monday morning. I'm Erica Hill.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN NEWSROOM: And I'm Jim Sciutto.

Any moment now, Kentucky's Governor Beshear is expected to give an update on the emergency response to the devastating, deadly tornadoes that ripped through his state and seven others late Friday night. We're going to be bring you those comments live when they happen.

HILL: We can tell you right now, search and rescue operations are under way in several states. More than 100 people now feared dead after more than 50 tornados slammed parts of the U.S., one of those twisters staying on the ground to for more than 200 miles, which could end up being the longest tracked tornado in history.

The governor now speaking. Let's listen in.

GOV. ANDY BESHEAR (D-KY): -- to the worst tornado event in the history of our commonwealth. Our state was hit by at least four tornadoes. One stayed on the ground in Kentucky for at least 200 miles devastating anything in its path. Thousands of homes are damaged, if not entirely, destroyed. And it may be weeks before we have final counts on both deaths and levels of destruction.

We lost lives in at least eight counties and at least 18 counties suffered damage. As of this morning, our best count for confirmed deaths, the most accurate count we have as of this morning, are 64 Kentuckians. Remember, this is fluid and the numbers will change and sometimes they have, thank God, gone down, other times they have gone up.

It breaks down as follows. 20 in Grace, 13 in Hopkins, 11 in Muhlenberg, I think that was reported at 12, but we believe 11, 12 in Warren, 4 in Caldwell, 1 in Marshall, 1 in Taylor, 1 in Fulton and 1 in Lyon. And, undoubtedly, there will be more. We believe that it will certainly be above 70, maybe even 80. But, again, with this amount of damage and rubble, it may be a week or even more before we have a final count on the number of lost lives.

Currently, we believe there are at least 105 Kentuckians that are unaccounted for that we are still working to find. Currently, we have 300 National Guard assisting rescue and recovery efforts, a few more than that. Hundreds of state employees from the transportation cabinet, the division of forestry are clearing roads. And we saw a light of hope yesterday and we were actually able in may Mayfield to get from just clearing roads to starting to haul debris away. I believe that is the same in Muhlenberg County from a conversation with a judge this morning, worked directly with groups to get cell service back in Hopkins, Marshall, and I think it is up and going in Fulton County as well working on Hickman.

To recap, we declared state of emergency roughly midnight, before midnight, before the storm really hit. We received immediate federal emergency declaration, I believe, on Sunday which is the fastest we've ever seen. And last night, we received a federal declaration of major emergency, I think, the fastest that has ever been issued. And we are really grateful from FEMA. Gracia Szczech is here with us and is going to give you an update on what that means.

But it is good news for our families. It means that FEMA will be on the ground, documenting losses at people's homes, helping them go ahead and file their claims. Again, I believe this is the most rapid response by the federal government in the history of the United States and we are really grateful for it. And then Michael Dossett will go over a few other things here in a minute.

[10:05:00]

New pieces out today, and I have a lot of pieces of paper here I'm going to work through them the best I can, is I'm ordering flags to half-staff in honor of those lost and those suffering from this tornado. So, state office buildings will be lowered to half-staff for one week in honor of the Kentuckians who were killed and/or severely impacted. So, they should be lowered beginning at sunrise, Tuesday, December 14th, and remains so until sundown, Monday, December 20th. I'm asking businesses, other states, to join us in the recognition of our Kentucky who are struggling so badly.

Next update, some potential good news from the candle factory in Mayfield that we are actively working to confirm this information, all of this is being reported by the business, we pray that it is true, but we are working to confirm it. So, according to the business, 110 individuals, 94 are alive and have been accounted for. Again, we are working to confirm that. Eight are dead. We found eight bodies. And eight are missing. We feared much, much worse.

And, again, I pray that it is accurate. But with no phones, with 15- plus feet of wreckage that had a dozen backhoes trying to pull things off of it, there was no way at the time to know how many individuals made it out. So, we very much hope that that is true.

We've opened up our state parks for housing for impacted families. Penny Rile is already full. I think we have 100-plus adults and a lot of kids that are out there. We're going to guarantee at least two weeks of stay. There may be other options by the end of that, but we're not going to let any of our folks go homeless. We currently have distressed families at Kenlake and Kentucky Dam Village. Currently, we have some openings, I'm working with the county judge, Judge Perry, in Grace County to move people from warming center or shelter to these rooms. We've got at least 58 rooms open at Kenlake. Kentucky Dam Village, we have 30 open. If we can get power to Lake Barkley, we'll open 50 more.

We do need a little bit of help. We need volunteers to help us staff the state park. It will be things like washing dishes and washing clothes, but we could really use that help. So, if you are looking for a place to be of assistance, you can contact Director Andy Kasitz, his name is Andy, at 502-418-3581. His email, andy.kasitz, K-A-S-I-T-Z, @ky.gov. I hope he's flooded with calls and emails and we can put as many people to work helping our people out as possible.

Just a few more facts about those we've lost, 18 are still unidentified. Of the ones that we know, the age range is 5 months to 86 years, and 6 are younger than 18. Help keeps pouring in from all over the country. Thank you, to everyone. We feel your love here in Kentucky. The Team Western Kentucky Tornado Relief Fund, now 31,279 donations, over $4 million raised into it thus far -- do we have the website? Those that would like to help us, that is teamwkyrelief.ky.gov.

[10:10:00]

This is a fund associated with the state. It will be fully transparent on how it is be spent. There will be no administrative fees taken out of it. All of it is going to go to help these families.

Today, we're announcing the first expenditure from that. We're going to be providing $5,000 in burial expenses for each family that has lost a loved one. We are going to ask the funeral home or group helping out to not charge the families beyond that $5,000.

We have to be able to grieve together and no one is going to apply. We're going to work with our vital statistics group, for everyone who has been identified, and we're going to work to reach out and contact those families directly.

Right now, we think we have about 30,000 Kentucky homes that are without power. Significant debris removal is going on right now. But there is just a mountain of waste. It is going to take a significant amount of time. We've got significant livestock dead in all of the areas. There is ongoing cleanup with that too.

Department for Community Based Services in Mayfield suffered damage, cannot serve the public at this time. A mobile unit is in process to get down there so it can provide those continuing needed services, those that have needs for the department for community based services can call 1-855-306-8959, or applying for help online through the connect site.

Walgreens in Mayfield is the only pharmacy that has been open. Starting today, Walmart plans to be open for prescription fulfillment. This is in Mayfield. If you need a refill, it helps if you can bring your medication bottles. But the pharmacy recognizes that you probably don't have them. So, if you have a list of your medications, that would be helpful too.

Mayfield nursing and rehab has been closed due to storm damage and will need to rebuild. All residents have been relocated. Kentucky State Police is asking especially in the Grace County area, for any family members of missing loved ones, you should report to the office building of His House Ministries to provide a reference standard to law enforcement for identification purposes. It is located at 1250 KY 303 in Mayfield. Anybody who needs assistance in getting there, call 859-267-7775.

Kentucky State Police is also using rapid DNA technology to assist in the identification of victims so they are requesting any family members of missing loved ones to come to that same building to submit DNA so that they can match. Kentucky State Police is also working to verify the information on the candle factory.

I know like the folks in Western Kentucky, I'm not doing so well today and I'm not sure how many of us are. I was working on getting the confirmed deaths this morning and realized I was writing on the back of notes that one of my kids took from school. And here is what it is. It is notes on inertia. It means that an object that is in motion will stay in motion.

So, we're going to keep puts one foot in front of the other, push through this. Everybody out there get the help you need. Take care of yourself and we'll continue to provide updates. To the people of Western Kentucky, we're not going anywhere. We're going to be with you today, we're going to be with you tomorrow and we're going to be there with you to rebuild. This is one state, people that love one another, and I think everybody in Kentucky but also everybody in the country is standing with you.

And with that, I'll turn it over to Director Dossett.

[10:15:00]

MICHAEL DOSSETT, DIRECTOR, KENTUCKY DIVISION OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT: Thank you, governor, and good morning. So, I'm going to give you an overall update of operations. The state EOC is in operation at level three. We have an extraordinary compliment of state and federal personnel, probably 80 to 100 right now. These folks will be on duty each day and every day, including the weekends, to answer the requests from our counties and to render assistance.

So, we have representatives from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, the National Guard, forestry law enforcement, energy sector, sheltering, volunteer organization, parks, Red Cross, we've established an aircraft command and control section for over-flights to survey the damage.

So now, I'm going to some of the power numbers. And the governor, there has been good news within the last ten minutes, the numbers dropped again. We are literally at 28,531 outages as of this moment. This is a remarkable outcome when you look at the damage that has been impacted across our commonwealth.

So, approximately 95 percent of potentially impacted power lines have been assessed. That is a big thing. In most of these events, the power companies can't get to the lines even to perform the assessments. So, 95 percent have been completed.

Now, there is bad news with the good news. There are still 29 transmission lines. These are the lines that feed from the power plants. If you recall in the ice storm you saw collapse of these massive towers that run across our state, we have had that. And restoration will be weeks to months for these. So we'll have a small number that feed off these transmission lines that are still out.

We have at least 97 power structures damaged. Several local power companies have extensive damage to their own distribution systems, and they are underway certainly. Mutual aid crews from across other states are arriving daily. We have -- and this is just an estimate of three companies. And we have a number of them and I'll go through them. We have 8,000 power poles, these are the ones in your neighborhood, that are down. They have to be dug, replaced, wires strung, so it's a massive effort.

Eight of the most impacted local power companies, West Kentucky, Rural Electric Cooperative, Lexington Electric, Nashville Electric, Memphis Light, Gas and Water, Warren Rural Electric, Murray Electric, Bowling Green Municipality, and Mayfield Electric.

So, we have water systems also impacted, three systems currently not operational with 10,400 customers. 11 systems currently with limited operational capabilities for about 17,000 customers, these are boil water advisories, we're certainly familiar with those in other impacts.

The division continues to coordinate with all municipal utilities. We are delivering generators, as we speak. Our regional administrator will speak to some of the generation opportunities and things that they are bringing Target here in a second.

In Graves, in Mayfield, they are experiencing overload in some circuits, and that is to be expected because of the level of power that they are trying to restore. Generators arrived at the Mills Nursing and Rehabilitation this morning, and they have restored heat. We're coordinating with FEMA, U.S. Corps of Engineers and Department of Public Health to provide water. Certainly, water is in high demand in Mayfield and in other communities. We are bulk drop shipping water, bottled water, to command centers across the state in the impact area.

We have requested and received, and, again, folks, I can't stress the amount of federal support that came so quickly. I can tell you from just being a veteran of now 17 disasters, it takes time to get wheels rolling. We had USAR teams, these are federal urban search and rescue teams, on the ground before I had finished the requests. Gracia Szczech, just overnight, approved three additional USAR teams to do wide-area searches. We're doing the known impact and now we have to search all of the debris areas. The forward elements of those teams arrived last night when they were requested yesterday. So, folks are pulling out all the stops. In Hopkins, we're assisting providing generation to Dawson Springs Independent School.

[10:20:04]

That's a key issue that was assessed last night, and we'll have something on the way. In Dawson Springs, obviously, electric is still down and water is being re-established. Verizon also sent some mobile cellular units in place last night.

So, with that, restoration is ongoing. This again is not going to be a week or a month operation, folks. This will go on for years to come. This is a massive event, the largest and most devastating in Kentucky's history.

And I'll close with saying the key here is our thoughts and prayers and our hearts go out to all of the victims, to all of the families and to the families of those who are still missing. This is a horrific event and prayers will help.

Now, I'll introduce Gracia Szczech. Gracia was with the governor and I yesterday, as we again toured the area.

SCIUTTO: You are listening there to the head of Kentucky Emergency Management Agency. He making a point, we heard from the state senator last hour, that this will take years to recover from, perhaps a lifetime. And as you look at those aerials from Mayfield, Kentucky, you can believe it. Another moment there, Erica, I'm sure this caught you too, but the governor growing tearful as he went through the ages of those who lost their lives, the range from 5 months old to 86 years old.

HILL: Yes, he said six of the victims who have been identified of those who passed, under 18 years old. As you pointed, Jim, it was incredibly emotional at that moment, also when talking about folks who need their prescription medications. They should bring a bottle with them, but then he said, but, of course, you probably don't have that bottle right now. He said, I'm not doing so well today, really a raw moment from the governor there.

We're joined now by former Kentucky State Representative Charles Booker, who is currently challenging Senator Rand Paul for one of Kentucky's Senate seats. Good to have you with us this morning.

As we look at, again, these pictures, every time you look at them, the devastation is just overwhelming, these numbers that we just heard from the governor, and the need, as Jim pointed out, which will be there for years to come.

This morning, for people who are watching at home, what is most in need, what can they do?

FMR. STATE REP. CHARLES BOOKER (D-KY): You know, in this moment we're facing so much pain, so much grief, and the thing that is giving me hope is to see the response from people all across Kentucky and across the country showing what family looks like. And we are actually -- my team, we're in Madisonville right now. We're headed to Dawson springs. We know that a lot of families have lost everything. And so as power has been out and the governor is right to mention the need to do that, we are working to get generators, people that are type-1 diabetics, like myself, your insulin has to be refrigerated. You have lost power now, you're struggling to keep your medications where you can stay alive.

People have lost toiletries, they've lost clothing, shelter is going, food and water, basic necessities, we are seeing blood drives that are happening. We are all rallying around. And there is a massive operation that is taking place across Kentucky. And for anyone that wants to get involved, you can go to charlesbooker.org/relief. We are helping to connect people to ways to help and it's going to take all of us.

SCIUTTO: Folks have used comparisons to a warzone. And oftentimes you will hear that. But I'll tell you as we look at these pictures here, the aerials from Mayfield, I haven't seen devastation like that except in warzones. I mean, it looks like the result of a bombing campaign.

A lifetime, one state senator told us, it will take a lifetime to repair, to rebuild. I wonder how you see these communities rebuilding, responding to this in the coming months and years.

BOOKER: One thing that is true about the people of Kentucky, we are strong, we are resilient, we're known for coming back. We are often counted out, but we stand together. And we will rebuild. We will build back better in fact. But the fact of the matter is there are a lot of communities across Kentucky that have gone and many of them may not return. And if they do, they will never be the same.

We're headed to Dawson Springs, as I mentioned. We know about 75 percent of that town is gone. Bremen that is close by, completely wiped out. And the thing that is pressing for us now is, of course, to make sure that our loved ones are safe and that we take care of one another. But while we're rebuilding, we have to do the deeper work to make sure that we prepared for the next crisis, which means to address climate change and we address the infrastructure needs that we've ignored for way too long.

[10:25:02]

SCIUTTO: Charles Booker, let us just use this moment to ask you to convey to folks there that we're going to continue to cover this story and we're thinking about them. And we wish you and them the best of luck.

BOOKER: Thank you so much. Kentucky, I love you.

SCIUTTO: If you would like to help the tornado victims, there are lots of ways to do. We have a list of vetted organizations on the ground right now. Go to cnn.com/impact. There are lots of opportunities there and they really do need the help.

HILL: Yes, there certainly are.

Also following very closely, developments with the January 6th committee likely voting today to recommend holding Mark Meadows in contempt of Congress. So, then what is the next step for Trump's former White House Chief of Staff? That is still ahead.

And a bit later, why the head of FEMA says powerful storms like what we saw over the weekend are the new normal.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:30:00]