Graphic by Anna Kladova
Lily Smith
News Columnist
On Friday, December 10th, a tornado ripped through Kentucky, Missouri, Illinois, Tennessee, Arkansas, Indiana, Ohio, and Mississippi. The storm continued into the late morning of Saturday, the 11th. The series of 64 tornadoes set a record for the most tornadoes in December. Additionally, it set the record for the most fatal tornado in December, with a death toll of 88.
58 of those fatalities came from Mayfield, Kentucky, one of the hardest-hit cities. After the event, the city was left demolished, with broken houses and fallen trees. Infamously, 110 people were stuck in the Mayfield Consumer Products candle factory when the storm hit, with authorities unclear as to whether they were safe or not. However, by the evening of December 12, eight people had been confirmed dead and the rest were located.
In both Dyer and Stewart Counties, Tennessee, numerous homes were destroyed, trees were drowned or broken into branches, and electrical cords were destroyed. Despite all of the damage, no fatalities were reported, yet 13 were left injured.
The tornado ripped through Bowling Green, Kentucky on December 11th at around 1:00 am. Sweeping through houses and removing roofs, the storm made a catastrophic impact on the city, leaving Bowling Green with 16 deaths and numerous injuries.
Now that the storm is over and countless cities are left with only ruins and injured citizens, many wonder how they will move forward. According to President Biden’s social media accounts, he traveled to the affected areas in order to provide support to the suffering communities.
The President called for a state of federal emergency in Kentucky, and assured the state government that the Federal Government will “cover 100% of costs of emergency work for the first 30 days after the extreme weather event.”
As of Tuesday, December 14, there were 18,500 power outages across numerous states. However, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has provided many generators, 135,000 liters of water, 74,000 meals, and thousands of cots. Additionally, their aid teams will clear out debris and rebuild fallen buildings.
Amidst all of the chaos, the residents in these communities have come together to mourn and pray as one, and as President Biden says, “That’s what America’s supposed to be.”
