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Dozens Killed After Tornadoes Tore Through 8 U.S. States; Survivors Picking up the Pieces in Kentucky After Devasting Tornadoes; At Least Six Dead in Illinois Amazon Warehouse Collapse; Scandal Deepens for Downing Street After Photo Emerges. Aired 4:00-4:30a ET

Aired December 13, 2021 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:00]

ISA SOARES, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and a very warm welcome to our viewers joining us in the United States and right around the world. I'm Isa Soares in CNN NEWSROOM and just ahead right here on CNN NEWSROOM.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The very first thing that we have to do is grieve together and we are going to do that before we rebuild together.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is going to be our new normal.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You would have thought it could have been one of the safest places.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In a matter of two messages, it blew everything up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the deadliest tornado event we have ever had.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: How the storms nearly wipe out entire towns across the center of the United States. We'll have the incredible survival stories as people begin to rebuild.

Rising COVID cases and party scandals, Boris Johnson feeling the heat over his handling of the pandemic.

And Naftali Bennett becomes the first Israeli leader to visit the United Arab Emirates. We're live for you in Abu Dhabi for the historic visit.

ANNOUNCER: Live from London, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Isa Soares.

SOARES: Welcome to the show, everyone. It is Monday, December 13th. And we begin with the aftermath of the deadliest December tornado outbreak in U.S. history.

Dozens of people were killed when powerful tornadoes swept right across the Midwest and South. Now at this hour crews are still searching for survivors but officials say the death toll will only rise. Now, we now know at least 50 tornadoes were reported across eight states over the weekend. You can see on your map.

On Sunday the National Weather Service confirmed five of those tornadoes were at least EF-3 strength. And that basically means wind speeds were up to 165 miles per hour or 266 kilometers per hour. Now Kentucky was the hardest hit -- as you can see there -- by this disaster. Governor Andy Beshear says in the best-case scenario at least 50 people died in the state alone but he fears the final toll could be much higher. And the damage left behind is really quite staggering. Entire communities nearly wiped off the map. Beshear grew emotional Sunday as he described the devastation and how communities are coming together to recover. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDY BESHEAR, KENTUCKY GOVERNOR: I wish I understood why we've gotten hit with the pandemic, the historic ice storm, flooding and now the worst tornado in our history all in a span of 19 months. What I do know is that in Kentucky we're good people and we care about one another. That's why people were out in this storm helping their neighbors or people they don't know. That's why other counties, you can look on people's shirts are here and were here immediately trying to help. It's why we opened 13 shelters and only have 6 open anymore because we take each other into our homes.

We're going to grieve together. We're going to dig out and clean up together and we will rebuild and move forward together. We're going to get through this. We're going to get through this together because that is what we do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: The governor of Kentucky. Now have a look at this before and after. It really gives you a sense of just how devastating these storms were. A candle factory in a small town of Mayfield flattened by the tornado. It had been operating 24/7 really to meet the demands for Christmas. And initially official said dozens inside may have died. But a company spokesman says that most employees made it out, thankfully. Eight have been confirmed dead though and eight others are still unaccounted for. For the loved ones the wait, really for answers has been truly agonizing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHANIYAH MCREYNOLDS, GIRLFRIEND OF VICTIM'S SON: I would be digging right now if I could, fingers and all I would be digging, no gloves. Even if I had I would be down there digging if they could let me. Can't do nothing but sit and wait. I pray everybody down there is OK.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: Now the company's says crews are still looking for signs of life. Still, the devastation is palpable. On Sunday the CEO described his own heart break.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TROY PROPES, CEO, MAYFIELD CONSUMER PRODUCTS, LLC: The factory was built as manufacturing facility in 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.

Our hearts are broken for these families. Our hearts are broken for this community. And I won't lie to you.

[04:05:00]

It's hard not to get emotional every minute of every day of every second that you're here. And you know -- but we also need strength at this time so I do fight back the emotions as hard as I can. And we are -- it's -- it's personal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: Our CNN's Brynn Gingras is on the ground in Mayfield where she's hearing from other residents and hearing about the impact of this disaster.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We are seeing electric crews, volunteer fire departments, police departments descending on Mayfield willing to help everybody here get through this, and there is so much work to be done.

I just want you to see what's behind me, what I believe is a preschool. This is just some of the damage that is really all across this town of 10,000 people. This particular school is actually blocking part of the street in downtown Mayfield and it was moved off its foundation. You can still see inside the school. Some of the stuff in there is still intact. It's quite an eerie scene.

And I've got to tell you, talking to so many people in this town, the people that call Mayfield home, they're stunned, they're in disbelief. They're trying to figure out what the next day and the next day is going to bring them. Some of them thanking God that they are alive. We talked to one couple who hunkered down in a crawl space of their home with their 6-year-old daughter. I want you to hear from them about how they survived the storm.

SAMANTHA BURNS, SURVIVED TORNADO IN BASEMENT: 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?

GINGRAS: And of course, as we know there is so much loss of life as well. Still people are being -- there is work to try to rescue them or recover their bodies particularly at that candle factory where so many people are still missing. We talked to one family who lost a member of their family, a 47-year-old who was working at that candle factory at night. His family now remembering him as just a happy person and missing him this holiday season coming up. So much despair in Mayfield but, again, so much resilience to move forward from all of this devastation. Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: Thanks very much, Brynn Gingras there.

Well, the devastation wasn't limited to Kentucky. This is the destruction in Edwardsville, Illinois at an Amazon warehouse. At least six people were killed when a tornado hit the building. A warning siren rang out 11 minutes before the thick concrete walls collapsed inward and the roof then caved in. CNN's Polo Sandoval is at the scene for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Here in southwest Illinois, you are getting a clear picture right now of the devastation that was left behind by the series of storms on Friday night. A look from above, you can actually see how a tornado cut through an Amazon shipping center here causing multiple injuries and the deaths of at least six people. In fact, today authorities confirming their identities, they range from 26 to 62 years old.

All employees at this location here and now operations basically shifting to cleanup. As from our vantage point you can actually see crews removing portions of the building that were structurally compromised. And their doing so confident that everybody's been accounted for. In fact, police on the ground confirming today that they no longer have any outstanding reports of any missing individuals. Amazon also on scene here not just working with authorities here in the cleanup process, but also answering some of those important questions we've been asking really all weekend long about the policies and procedures that are in place to keep their employees safe in the event of severe weather. Here's how one spokesperson described what took place on Friday night as this storm moved in.

KELLY NANTEL, AMAZON SPOKESPERSON: The tornado warning, siren actually went off and we had about 11 minutes from that time to the time the tornado hit the ground in order to get our employees and our partners into a safe place.

Our managers were on the loud Speakers telling people to get to the shelter in place area. They were also being guided by other managers and other employees who were trying to get everybody to that safe location. We had people in two different sheltering areas.

SANDOVAL: A separate spokesperson confirming that are actively working, not just with the community, but also those families that have been affected, especially the families of those six employees who perish at this location on Friday as the storm swept through.

[04:10:00]

Polo Sandoval, CNN, Edwardsville, Illinois.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: Well, these tornadoes are just the latest extreme weather disaster we've seen this year. The head of FEMA says the climate crisis is making storms more frequent and perhaps stronger. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEANNE CRISWELL, FEMA ADMINISTRATOR: This is going to be our new normal. And the effects that we're seeing from climate change are the crisis of our generation. We're taking a lot of efforts at FEMA to work with communities to help reduce the impacts that we're seeing from these severe weather events and help to develop system wide projects that can help protect communities.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: Joining me now is meteorologist Pedram Javaheri. Pedram, good morning to you. As we heard there from the head of FEMA basically saying the storms are the new normal, and I'm guessing, Pedram, it's not just the frequency in which this is happening but also the intensity here?

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST: The intensity as well, absolutely. You know, we've seen it with tropical systems. Certainly, we've seen the frequency of droughts and the extreme nature of the drought that has taken place. And certainly, some cases could be made for severe weather as well. Although the data not as robust when it comes to tornadoes and its relation. Just because the data is just so short lived, short-term scale, short-term systems. So, when you see storms only last a couple of hours, really hard to kind of make that connection.

But you take a look climatologically, this is supposed to be the quietest time of year for tornadoes by far and wide. Only 23 tornadoes historically seen in the month of December. And of course, you notice how things have played out in the last couple of days. Upwards of 50 plus tornado reports essentially more than doubling what typically takes place in the month of December in just a matter of a few hours. And almost 400 severe wind gusts reports as well. Now there is some data to suggest that maybe the tornadoes themselves

not directly related to climate change. At least not the data we have present. But the data that we do have shows that tornado alley, which has been historically of course across portions of the Central Plains. We've seen a shift here a little farther towards the east in the past four decades. Now an area known as Dixie Alley, where we have quite a bit of tornadoes every single year. Hoosier Alley also beginning to become more populated as far as tornadoes are concerned. And also, Carolina Alley, a smaller scale one across portions of the state of North and South Carolina.

But notice the past 40 years we've seen this gradual shift towards an area east of the Mississippi River. Which of course, this area tends to be much more populated than areas back towards the west of it. So, the destruction, the impacts of the lives lost, all of this goes to increase as a result of this. And we also know there's a La Nina currently in place. And that also allows the tornado's activities to shift a little farther towards the east. So, the data is certainly there to support this as well. And we are currently in a La Nina season.

Now when you have these tornadoes happen into the overnight hours, naturally, they are more fatal. Historically they are about 2 1/2 times more fatal than ones that occur during the daytime hours, for obvious reasons. As people of course, cannot get to a shelter in a quick enough matter.

But we also want to talk about the change in the pattern here over the next several days. Because of course, we've seen excessive warmth. Very significant data suggests that climate change and warmth is correlated. And you notice the warmth in place here across portions of the Eastern U.S., also as impressive, Isa, as it gets. We're talking about temperatures running some 40 degrees above average just before winter is officially underway. As many as 70 records could be set across parts of the U.S., with temperatures in Chicago running up to the close to the middle 60s when 30s are what is normal. An incredible amount of warmth.

SOARES: And Pedram, just before you leave us, very briefly. Do we know why it's shifted other the last 40 years to the East?

JAVAHERI: You know, we have not. That's the issue with the tornadoes in particular. The data is certainly is coming in that we're seeing activity shift a little farther to the east, but it is really hard to tell at this point with the data we have access to.

SOARES: Pedram Javaheri, thank you very much. Good to see you, my friend.

And if you would like to help those impacted by these deadly storms. "CNN IMPACT YOUR WORLD" site has verified ways that you can assist. For more information visit cnn.com/impact to help. Our teams will update with the latest details, of course, as they become available. We'll stay on top of this developing story for you.

Still to come right here on the show, President Biden says the government will provide whatever is needed to recover from these deadly tornadoes. We'll have more on his response next.

And problems keep piling up for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. He's facing new controversy over a 2020 Christmas party as the Omicron variant drives up COVID cases in the U.K.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: There is a tiny wave of Omicron coming.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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SOARES: I have much more here on our top story this hour. The tornadoes that ripped through as many as eight states over the weekend are being blamed for dozens of deaths. U.S. President Joe Biden has declared a major disaster occurred in Kentucky due to severe weather and ordered federal aid to supplement areas affected by the storm. CNN's Arlette Saenz has more for.

[04:15:00]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: President Biden plans to travel to Kentucky to see firsthand the devastation brought by those deadly tornado in the region over the weekend. The president told reporters he plans to see Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, and who he has spoken to multiple times since those tornadoes struck.

The White House has not outlined a timeline for presidential visit, but Biden says he does not want to travel to the region until it reaches the moment where a presidential visit would not strain resources that are going towards rescue and recovery missions that are underway. On Sunday top White House officials did travel to the region including Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and FEMA'S administrator Deanne Criswell. To see firsthand the devastation and talk about the federal efforts that are underway. Take a listen to what Mayorkas had to say in Kentucky.

[04:20:00]

ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS, U.S. HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: I want to make it perfectly clear that we are here physically today but we will be here tomorrow and the days, weeks, months ahead until the recovery is complete. In a time like this, it is a time to come together and that is, indeed, what we have done, federal, state, and local personnel of all walks in response of the needs of the people.

SAENZ: President Biden on Monday will receive a briefing on federal response efforts from Mayorkas and his Homeland Security adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall. The president and top officials have tried to make clear that they will act swiftly in deploying federal resources to these states that have been impacted. Of course, a presidential response to any natural disaster is always a key test for this White House. Biden insists the federal government will be there throughout the recovery efforts.

Arlette Saenz, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: Well, President Biden may need for Senator Joe Manchin later today to discuss the Build Back Better bill. Democrats Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema hold key votes in the Senate and could derail the president's hopes of passing the nearly $2 trillion spending plan. Now, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says he wants to finish the bill before the Christmas recess. But right now, that timeline just seems unlikely.

Now, the January 6th committee is recommending Mark Meadows be held in contempt of Congress. They just released a new report making their case against the former White House chief of staff after he stopped cooperating. It includes that Meadows allegedly sent in -- in the lead up to the insurrection -- saying the National Guard would be, quote, protect pro Trump people and that many more would be available on standby.

Meantime, Meadows is suing. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and some committee members saying they don't have the lawful authority to subpoena him for his phone records. The story of course will stay on top of.

Now some sobering numbers for the U.S. in the COVID crisis. According to data from Johns Hopkins University, the U.S. is now approaching 50 million cases and ticking closer to 800,000 deaths. Now health officials expect the numbers to climb during the cold winter months and the Omicron variant, of course, is it begins to continue to circulate. The variant now has been found in at least 29 states and the District of Columbia. Experts say vaccinations and booster doses are still the best protection against the variant. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, U.S. NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: Preliminary data show that you when you get a booster, for example, the third shot of an mRNA, it raises the level of protection high enough that it then does do well against the Omicron. Which is, again, another reason to encourage people who are not vaccinated to get vaccinated, but particularly those who are vaccinated to get boostered. Because that diminution in protection seems to go way back up again. So, that's the importance of getting that best and optimal protection you can.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: And number nearly 61 percent of the country is fully vaccinated -- that's according to the CDC. Just under 27 percent of that group has received a booster.

South African officials say President Cyril Ramaphosa has tested positive for COVID-19 and is receiving treatment. His symptoms are mild, but he has delegated his responsibilities to the deputy president for the next week. Mr. Ramaphosa said in a statement, his infection serves as a warning to South Africans to get vaccinated and stay vigilant against exposure.

Now here in the U.K. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson sounded the alarms Sunday after the U.K. confirmed its first hospitalization due to the Omicron variant. The country is also raising its COVID alert level from 3 to 4 as the variant spreads. And Mr. Johnson is asking everyone to get boostered.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: No one should be in any doubt, there is a tidal wave of Omicron coming. And I am afraid that it is not clear that two doses of vaccine are simply not enough to give the level of protection we all need. But the good news is that our scientists are confident that with a third dose, a booster dose, we can all bring our level of protection back up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: Well, starting today everyone in England who can work from home is asked to do so. Face coverings are now compulsory in public. And Parliament meets Tuesday to consider a mandatory COVID-19 pass. Mr. Johnson has other big problems really on his already crowded plate. The British newspaper "The Mirror" published a 2020 photo -- as you can see there -- that shows him at a Christmas party at 10 Downing Street, while strict coronavirus restrictions were in place. It's part of a wider scandal that is hurting both the Prime Minister as well as his party.

[04:25:00]

Let's bring in our Salma Abdelaziz, who joins me now, here in London. And Salma, I just want to show our viewers this cartoon from "The Times." It really paints a picture of what a week the Prime Minister had. Pretty testing week last week and potentially a tumultuous one this week. The cartoon says, question one, how did we end up here? What can we expect this week from the Prime Minister, in particular the pressure from within his own party?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN REPORTER: So, last week was the week of scandals. Right? We saw bit by bit. We saw the evidence mounting and growing. Both multiple parties, parties plural taking place at Downing Street. Now the Prime Minister has to pay the piper. And it's going to all start tomorrow in Parliament. That's when he's going to be back in Parliament trying to pass new coronavirus measures. Including those COVID passes in big public venues and a few other measures there. And we've already heard that conservative backbenchers are going to rebel against these coronavirus measures. They're going to vote against them. Now, they're likely to pass because the Labour Party won't vote for them, but already you can hear the rebellion.

SOARES: But let me ask you this, you know, the rebellion, is it against the measures or is it against all the crisis that we've seen, the parties, the quizzes, the things that weren't supposed to be happening when we were all under lockdown? ABDELAZIZ: It's hard to separate the two things. Yes, these MPs, these

Conservative MPs are angry about measures. They feel the economic impact is too high and they want to see the government sort of normalize COVID-19 in our lives. But this is about the Prime Minister's standing. Right? His grip on power. His ability to steer his own party. Can he still do that when there's questions being asked about his moral and ethical authority?

SOARES: Where are we on polling numbers?

ABDELAZIZ: That's another question. And here's another big tests I'm going to point to. On Thursday there's one MP seat that can stop it. In a Conservative area that usually would be a shoe in for Conservative lawmakers. Simple seat of, not the case. And that's when you're going start to see the numbers. We already saw -- there's a small poll last week that showed up to 54 percent of people want the Prime Minister to resign. Look, here's the bottom line. We don't have an election for a few years. But it MPs start to feel worried about their own seats, about their own positions of power, that's when they could begin to turn.

SOARES: And it's about the constituents. Can they get their voices heard? That's what's really important here. Salma Abdelaziz, thanks very much.

Now Australia is opening a travel bubble to South Korea and Japan, beginning on Wednesday. Fully vaccinated travelers from either country will be able to enter Australia without having to quarantine. Austria's Prime Minister said the travel bubble is possible because of countries shared COVID experience and high vaccinations.

Coming up right here on the show, homes destroyed and lives cut short. The series of powerful as well as deadly storms tearing through parts of the United States leaving communities shaken as they try to pick up the pieces.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Gone, we had lass broken. All the furniture's torn, broken. It's just sad.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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