US tornadoes cause several deaths
Dangerous tornados move toward the Missouri and Tennessee border, and the death toll rises.
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Kentucky declared a state of emergency.
The severe weather in Tennessee caused two deaths, one person died, and several injured in a tornado at an Arkansas nursing home. Emergency crews in southern Illinois responded to reports of workers trapped inside an Amazon warehouse after its roof collapsed from storm damage.
In addition, at least one fatality was reported in Missouri as severe storms swept across the Midwest and parts of the South late Friday and into Saturday morning.
In Tennessee, there were two storm-related fatalities in Obion County in the state’s northwestern corner, said Dean Flener, spokesman for the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency.
Tornado hits a nursing home
A tornado struck the Monette Manor nursing home in Arkansas on Friday night, killing one person and trapping 20 people inside as the building collapsed, Craighead County Judge Marvin Day told The Associated Press.
The judge reported that within two hours, the building had cleared and everyone was initially believed to have been inside.
“It looks like it’s pretty much destroyed,” Day said of the building. “... It happens quickly but apparently there was a little bit of time with tornado sirens going off.”
He said, "Some residents were found in the basement and were prepared for this,” adding that, "five people were seriously injured, and a few others had minor ones."
🚨#BREAKING: Tornado Warning for Memphis Tennessee
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) December 11, 2021
📌#Memphis l #Tennessee
The National weather service has just issued a tornado Warning for Memphis Tennessee sirens are going off In Area Take Shelter Immediately pic.twitter.com/tnrhhKIipu
By early Saturday, rescue crews were still sorting through the rubble to determine if anyone was trapped inside. Edwardsville Police Chief Mike Fillback said the process would last for several more hours. Cranes and backhoes were brought in to help move debris.
“Please be patient with us. Our fire personnel is doing everything they can to reunite everyone with their loved ones,” Fillback said on KMOV-TV.
“The safety and well-being of our employees and partners is our top priority right now,” Amazon spokesperson Richard Rocha said in a written statement Friday night. “We’re assessing the situation and will share additional information when it’s available.”
Also, one person died and two others were injured in building collapses near the towns of Defiance and New Melle, both just a few miles from the weather service office.
Storms reach the Midwest
The storms in Illinois, Missouri, and Arkansas were among several places in the Midwest that reported tornadoes spotted or on the ground.
The storms caused further damage as they tracked through Tennessee and into Kentucky. Several buildings collapsed in the southwestern Kentucky community of Mayfield, said Sarah Burgess, a trooper with the Kentucky State Police in Mayfield.
She said several people were trapped inside a damaged candle factory in Mayfield and that a shift was ongoing when the storm hit.
“The entire building is essentially leveled,” she said.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear declared a state of emergency early Saturday for what he described as major tornado damage in several western counties.
The death toll in Kentucky has increased to 50 and is still expected to rise.
Photo of before/after of Graves County Courthouse in Mayfield, KY, damaged tonight by a possible tornado. https://t.co/wldwYI7r8F
— WSMV News4 Nashville (@WSMV) December 11, 2021
