Deadly tornadoes slam through six states

By Fernando Alfonso III, Adrienne Vogt, Nadeem Muaddi, Nectar Gan and Steve George, CNN

Updated 1:39 a.m. ET, December 12, 2021
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11:34 p.m. ET, December 11, 2021

Biden pledges federal support in aftermath of deadly storms

From CNN's DJ Judd

President Joe Biden speaks about the severe weather that impacted at least five states and left widespread devastation at the Chase Center in Wilmington, Del., Saturday, Dec. 11. (Carolyn Kaster/AP Images)
President Joe Biden speaks about the severe weather that impacted at least five states and left widespread devastation at the Chase Center in Wilmington, Del., Saturday, Dec. 11. (Carolyn Kaster/AP Images)

Earlier Saturday, President Joe Biden told reporters traveling with him in Wilmington, Delaware he'd been monitoring the situation "very closely since early this morning," after what he called one of the “largest tornado outbreaks in our history” left at least 84 dead across six states.

Here's a breakdown of some of the key points Biden touched on:

Federal government response

“Earlier today I called the governors of the states that have been experiencing severe impacts of the storms including Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, as well as Tennessee and also spoke with Minority Leader Mitch McConnell,” Biden said.

“I want to emphasize what I told all the governors, the federal government will do everything, everything you can possibly do to help,” said Biden. 

"I also approved the emergency declaration that was requested a couple of hours ago by Governor Beshear of Kentucky. That’s going to accelerate federal emergency assistance for Kentucky right now, when it’s urgently needed. And I stand ready to do the same for the governors of the other states -- and I’ve made it clear to them -- if they request emergency declaration," continued Biden.

"I’ve also requested that FEMA offer additional federal resources, including help with temporary housing, where homes have been wiped out or too badly damaged to live in," he added.

Survey the damage

Biden told reporters he does plan on traveling to the region to survey storm damage when circumstances allow, adding that he started off this morning speaking with the governor of Kentucky.

“I said I'll be happy to come, but I don't want to be in the way,” Biden said. "We're not going to get in the way of the rescue and recovery, but I do plan on going," he added.

"My heart aches for those people right now, including the rescuers, including the burden on them and what they worry about,” Biden said.

Climate change

Biden acknowledged the role climate change may have played in the severity of Friday’s storms.

“All that I know is that the intensity of the weather across the board has some impacts as a consequence of the warming of the planet," he told reporters.

He said he would be tasking the Environmental Protection Agency and other agencies to take a look at the specific impact climate change had on Friday's deadly tornadoes.

“But the fact is that we all know everything is more intense when the climate is warming everything, and obviously it has some impact here, but I can't give you a quantitative read on that,” Biden said.

The National Guard

Biden also said he’d deploy the National Guard if the states conclude they need it.

“The National Guard has been called down to one state, but whatever is needed, it's within the authority of the President of the United States and the federal government to provide that help, and we're going to provide whatever is needed,” said Biden.

“I think we've demonstrated since we've been elected that every major national disaster we had been there early, often and stayed till we got it finished,” said Biden, citing federal responses to flooding in the wake of Hurricane Ida, California wildfires, and a building collapse in Surfside, Florida.
10:49 p.m. ET, December 11, 2021

Tornado winds carried family photo more than 150 miles from Kentucky to Indiana

From CNN's Laura Studley

A family photo was carried more than 150 miles from Dawson Springs, Kentucky, to New Albany, Indiana, in the wake of deadly tornadoes that claimed the lives of at least 70 people in Kentucky. 

“Walked out to my car in New Albany, Indiana and found this picture stuck to the window,” New Albany resident Katie Posten wrote in a post on Facebook. At first, she thought someone left a note on her windshield, but when she got closer, she realized it was a photo. The black and white photo, dated 1942, shows a woman in a striped dress holding a young child in her lap.
“It looks like it reads ‘Gertie Swatzell and JD Swatzell, 1942,’” she said in the post.

Posten told CNN she was tracking storm activity in her area and immediately thought the photo could be debris from storm damage in Kentucky. She said she couldn’t see any other debris near her home.

"No tree limbs, no shingles, nothing like that," she said, adding that "it's pretty remarkable."

Posten said she posted the photo on her social media accounts in hopes of finding its owners. 

It was on Facebook where Posten connected with Cole Swatzell from Dawson Springs who said the photo belonged to his family. “To think this traveled so far, this is my dad’s grandparents,” Swatzell wrote in the comments section of Posten’s Facebook post

Swatzell told CNN his family is trying to determine which household the photo came from, adding that his family plans to meet with Posten later in the week to retrieve the photo. 

"[Social media is] a really powerful informational tool and when it’s at its best, it's excellent and I'm thankful that when we use it for things like this that it has the power to connect us," Posten said. "It has the power to accomplish things that are next to impossible."
10:41 p.m. ET, December 11, 2021

"It was nothing but a pile of rubble," commissioner recounts rescue efforts at Kentucky candle factory 

Mayfield Consumer Products candle factory (Satellite image ©2021 Maxar Technologies)
Mayfield Consumer Products candle factory (Satellite image ©2021 Maxar Technologies)

Graves county commissioner Todd Hayden told CNN's Pamela Brown the harrowing scenes at the candle factory in Mayfield, Kentucky when he arrived to help search for survivors on Friday night.

The Mayfield Consumer Products candle factory -- one of the most devastated sites in the tornado outbreak -- collapsed when a tornado tore through it at around 9.30 p.m.

About 110 people were working inside at the time and dozens are feared dead.

"You can't believe your eyes how bad it has. When i pulled up, it was pitch dark. There's no electricity," Hayden said on CNN Newsroom.
"When you first walked up on it, it was nothing but a pile of rubble. You wondered how anybody could still be alive in there."

First responders rushed to the site from the counties all around. They set up lights, and people trapped inside the debris began calling for help and telling rescuers their location, Hayden said.

Many rescuers climbed inside to find survivors, while Hayden and others stayed on the outside to help people climb out of the rubble. Saws and cutting tools were sent in to cut wires and bars.

"Seeing people come out of that pile of rubble alive was amazing. You wondered how -- where they had been, and how -- they just emerged all of a sudden out of somewhere, out of a hole," Hayden said.
"We probably rescued 10 to 20 people that came out of there. Some of them have broken ankles, one had a back injury. A lot of them were walking out kind of stunned or just in shock," he said.

Some came out crying, going straight to their families waiting anxiously outside and falling into their arms. One lady was dancing, happy to be out of there, Hayden said.

"How they came out of that alive was unbelievable. It warmed your heart, but at the same time, it was total decimation."

Rescue and support efforts continued into Saturday. Hayden helped set up a shelter down the road in town, and people brought in water, food, toiletries and other supplies. "We have piles of piles of it now," he said.

9:44 p.m. ET, December 11, 2021

Jeff Bezos says Amazon committed to supporting Edwardsville

Amazon truck cabs are seen outside a damaged Amazon Distribution Center on December 11, in Edwardsville, Illinois. (Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images)
Amazon truck cabs are seen outside a damaged Amazon Distribution Center on December 11, in Edwardsville, Illinois. (Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images)

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has offered condolences to the community of Edwardsville in Illinois after at least six people died at one of the company’s warehouses.

As CNN previously reported, a tornado Friday dealt major structural damage to the building, causing its 11-inch-thick concrete walls to collapse inward.

 “The news from Edwardsville is tragic. We’re heartbroken over the loss of our teammates there, and our thoughts and prayers are with their families and loved ones,” Bezos tweeted late Saturday evening.
“All of Edwardsville should know that the Amazon team is committed to supporting them and will be by their side through this crisis. We extend our fullest gratitude to all the incredible first responders who have worked so tirelessly at the site,” he posted.

CNN continues to reach out to Amazon with additional questions on protocol, timeline and extreme weather training.

9:37 p.m. ET, December 11, 2021

State emergency response assets deployed to Western New York as region braces for high winds and rains

From CNN’s Artemis Moshtaghian and Chad Myers

New York Governor Kathy Hochul has deployed emergency response assets to key counties in Western New York as the region braces for a strong weather front, which is expected to bring high winds and rains through Saturday night. 

A high wind warning is currently in effect for all of Western New York and the Adirondacks, with winds gusting from 50-70 mph, according to reporting from CNN Weather. 

The region is seeing increasing power outages, with 174,779 customers currently without power. 

Winds are expected to drop to the 30-40 mph range overnight, but they can still cause tree limbs to snap and bring down power lines.

The warnings expire Sunday morning and winds are expected to subside by early Sunday afternoon.

"Western New York, the Finger Lakes and North County regions should be prepared for extreme weather moving across the state later today, including strong winds and damaging floods," Governor Hochul said in a press release Saturday. 

High wind warnings have been issued for Allegany, Cattaraugus, Cayuga, Chautauqua, Clinton, Erie, Franklin, Genesee, Jefferson, Lewis, Livingston, Monroe, Niagara, Ontario, Orleans, Oswego, St. Lawrence, Wayne and Wyoming Counties.

9:29 p.m. ET, December 11, 2021

Biden spoke again with Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear

From CNN’s DJ Judd

President Joe Biden spoke again Saturday evening with Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear "to get an update on the latest damage assessments and search and rescue efforts."

The White House said Biden "reaffirmed the Federal government’s support for the people of Kentucky throughout the difficult time ahead."

Kentucky is the hardest hit of the six storm damaged states, with at least 70 people feared dead. Earlier this evening, Gov. Beshear told reporters the death toll could "exceed 100" as rescue and recovery efforts continue.

8:30 p.m. ET, December 11, 2021

Amazon warehouse walls were made out of 11-inch-thick concrete and collapsed inward into the building 

From CNN’s Carma Hassan

Workers use equipment to remove a section of roof left on a heavily damaged Amazon fulfillment center Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021, in Edwardsville, Ill. (Jeff Roberson/AP)
Workers use equipment to remove a section of roof left on a heavily damaged Amazon fulfillment center Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021, in Edwardsville, Ill. (Jeff Roberson/AP)

The walls on both sides of the Amazon warehouse “collapsed inward” and “the roof of the building collapsed downward so most of the weight of the building landed centrally into the building,” Edwardsville, Illinois Fire Chief James Whiteford said. 

“These walls are made out of 11-inch-thick concrete and they're about 40 feet tall, so a lot of weight on that came down,” he said.

At least six people died at the warehouse, according to the Edwardsville Fire Department.

The victims were found in two locations, but rescuers are not done searching, Whiteford said. 

The fire department faced multiple hazards when they responded to the scene, Whiteford said. The building was charged with electricity; there was a natural gas leak; and water mains were broken, pouring water into the building. 

The warehouse is a fulfillment center where packages are loaded onto vans and then delivered to homes, according to the chief. 

He said he couldn’t speak to whether there was a designated shelter required by the city or county. 

8:13 p.m. ET, December 11, 2021

One person is missing in Tennessee

From CNN’s Joe Sutton

One person still remains missing in Lake County, Tennessee, the state's emergency management agency chief of staff Alex Pellom said during a press conference.

Four people have been confirmed dead in the state.   

Governor Bill Lee said there could have been many more fatalities from the storms, but the warnings helped.

“There was a very strong warning effort in many of these communities. The residents of those communities were notified of the danger and notified of the imminence of these storms. And in many of the cases, we know that there were significant evacuations in the communities. We really know that that reduced the loss of life in our state," Lee said.
"So, I just want to remind people that being prepared and heeding warnings -- it’s very clear today that was a part of why we had the limited amount of loss of life in spite of the significant amount of damage." 
7:59 p.m. ET, December 11, 2021

Tornado hit Illinois Amazon warehouse during shift change, fire chief says 

From CNN’s Carma Hassan

First responders surround a damaged Amazon Distribution Center on December 11, in Edwardsville, Illinois. (Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images)
First responders surround a damaged Amazon Distribution Center on December 11, in Edwardsville, Illinois. (Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images)

First responders do not know how many people were inside the Amazon warehouse that collapsed from tornado damage because a shift change was occurring at the time, according to the local fire chief. 

At least six people died at the warehouse, while 45 people made it out of the building, according to the Edwardsville Fire Department.

“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,” Edwardsville Fire Chief James Whiteford said.

Additionally, people come to the warehouse to drop off the vans and get in their cars to leave, varying the number of people that could have been at the warehouse during the weather event, Whiteford added.