Parts of the United States were in the grip of multiple tornadoes. The path was through the U.S. Midwest and South, and they left a trail of death and destruction. Homes turned into rubble, and there was panic as people tried to grapple with the situation. In Kentucky, the death toll was around 100. In the opinion of weather forecasters, it is unusual to have tornadoes in cooler months. The debris littered on the roads made it difficult to travel.
The Climate disturbance destroyed a candle factory apart from Kentucky's fire and police station. It also destroyed a nursing home in Missouri and killed some workers at a warehouse in Illinois.
Andy Beshear is the Governor of Kentucky. At a press conference, he said: "The devastation is unlike anything I have seen in my life, and I have trouble putting it into words. It's very likely going to be over 100 people lost here in Kentucky."
The devastation unleashed by the tornadoes
Governor Andy Beshear described the tornadoes as the most destructive in the state's history. He mentioned the rescue of workers at the candle factory in Mayfield. He also said personnel of the National Guard assisted in recovery activities. Mayfield has a population of around 10,000 people. Its location is in the region where it converges with Illinois, Missouri, and Arkansas. Reuters explains the genesis of the outbreak of tornadoes.
There were several overnight thunderstorms. One of these was a supercell storm that originated in northeast Arkansas. That traveled to Missouri, Tennessee, and Kentucky. A professor at Northern Illinois University explains the probable reason for such a weather event at this time of year. In his opinion, it could be due to a combination of unusually high temperatures and humidity.
In March this year, tornadoes in the Deep South disrupted lives and left behind a trail of destruction.
The tornadoes resulted in large scale power outages
Thousands of residents faced power outages and a water shortage after the tornadoes. A website that tracks power outages in the United States revealed that thousands of customers in Kentucky and Tennessee went without power.
Those who have provisions for renewable energy would have reaped the benefits. Officials in Kentucky advised residents to avoid the roads. Many communities had lost communication. Guardsmen of the Kentucky National Guard were going house to house to carry out physical checks because of breakage in communication links.
U.S. President Joe Biden on the tornadoes
U.S. President Joe Biden described the tornadoes as likely "one of the largest" storm outbreaks in history. He has pledged support to states affected by the tornadoes that have left lives in disarray with an initial death toll of more than 100. There is no confirmation on the number of deaths and the full extent of the damage. He assured that the federal government would extend every possible assistance to those affected by the tornadoes.
The President told the media that he would ask the Environmental Protection Agency to examine whether climate change had any role in this disturbance. Climate change is responsible for disasters like typhoons, flash floods, sea-level rise, forest fires, etcetera. These harm the environment and disturb the ecological balance. The President also raised questions about the tornado warning systems and whether it was strong enough to be heard. The Storm Prediction Center of the National Weather Service received 36 reports of tornadoes that touched down in the region, covering Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri, Arkansas, and Mississippi.
