More than 70 people were feared dead and officials and residents were digging through debris after a string of powerful storms and tornadoes swept across at least five states late Friday.
Here is what we know about the damage and fatalities this weekend:
Kentucky: At least 80 people died after a strong tornado ripped through the state, Gov. Andy Beshear said during a Sunday morning interview with CNN.
“I know we’ve lost more than 80 Kentuckians,” Beshear said. “That number is going to exceed more than 100.”
“We believe our death toll from this event is north of 70 Kentuckians and may end up exceeding 100 before the day is done,” Beshear said during a news conference on Saturday. “We will make it through this. We will rebuild. We are strong, resilient people.”
>> Related: Kentucky tornadoes: Governor says death toll tops 80
The largest number of fatalities appear to be in the city of Mayfield, where the twister struck a candle manufacturing factory, WLKY-TV reported. There were 110 people inside the building when it collapsed due to the storm, according to the television station.
Tennessee: Four people were killed in overnight storms in Tennessee, officials confirmed Saturday.
One person was killed in Obion County, one was killed in Shelby County and two died in Lake County, WSMV reported. Alex Pelham, chief of staff of the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, said one person remained missing Saturday night in Lake County. Ten people were injured and required treatment while 64 others were described as “walking wounded,” he said.
“These numbers are going to be ongoing they’re going to be changing as we continue to work with our local partners and our other state partners to get more up-to-date information through damage assessments,” he said.
Officials with TEMA said in a news release that the State Emergency Operations Center in Nashville was activated to a Level 3 state of emergency.
Gov. Bill Lee said officials surveyed “tremendous devastation” in multiple parts of the state. He praised residents for reacting quickly to warnings of the danger posed by the storms Friday night.
“We really know that that reduced the loss of life in our state,” he said at a news conference.
“Being prepared and heeding warnings -- it’s very clear today that that was a part of why we had the limited amount of loss of life (that we had), in spite of the significant amount of damage. We had communities that were wiped out in these storms, and the fact that we had as few losses -- as tragic as those are, there could have significantly been more.”
Arkansas: Gov. Asa Hutchinson said two people were killed in the state.
“Probably the most remarkable thing is that there’s not a greater loss of life,” Hutchinson told CNN.
The Craighead County Coroner confirmed that one person was killed and at least five were injured at the Monette Manor nursing home in Monette, WHBQ-TV reported.
Residents of Monette Manor were evacuated to St. Bernard Hospital and Northeast Arkansas Baptist Hospital, the television station reported.
>> Related: At least 1 killed, 5 injured after tornado hits nursing home in Arkansas
Monette Mayor Bob Blankenship told CNN that his town is in a “daze.”
One person was killed when a Dollar General store was destroyed on Main Street in Leachville in Mississippi County, according to WHBQ,
Illinois: Officials in Edwardsville said at least six people were killed when an Amazon fulfillment center partially collapsed.
“It’s an utter disaster,” Edwardsville Police Chief Mike Fillback said during a news conference.
The victims are Deandre S. Morrow, 28, of St. Louis; Kevin D. Dickey, 62, of Carlyle, Illinois; Clayton Lynn Cope, 29, of Alton, Illinois; Etheria S. Hebb, 34, of St. Louis; Larry E. Virden, 46, of Collinsville, Illinois; and Austin J. McEwen, 26, of Edwardsville, Illinois.
>> Related: Officials name 6 victims killed at Amazon facility
Edwardsville Fire Chief James Whiteford said 150 yards of the building collapsed when it was struck by a EF-3 tornado. He said 45 personnel made it out of the building safely.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker said a tornado touched down in six counties: Madison, Cass, Moultrie, Shelby, Coles and Fayette.
Missouri: An 84-year-old woman died during overnight storms in Defiance, Missouri, according to Mary Enger with the St. Charles County Emergency Management.
The woman was asleep when the tornado passed through the area, her son told KSDK-TV. Mark Borgmann said the tornado killed his mother and injured his father overnight, the St. Louis Post Dispatch reported. His parents, Ollie and Vernon Borgmann, were inside their single-story home when it was swept away from its foundation, according to the newspaper.
According to The Associated Press, here are the 10 deadliest tornadoes in the U.S. since 1900.
- 695 deaths, March 18, 1925, in Missouri, Illinois and Indiana.
- 216 deaths, April 5, 1936, in Tupelo, Mississippi.
- 203 deaths, April 6, 1936, in Gainesville, Georgia.
- 181 deaths, April 9, 1947, in Woodward, Oklahoma.
- 158 deaths, May 22, 2011, in Joplin, Missouri.
- 143 deaths, April 24, 1908, in Amite, Louisiana, and Purvis, Mississippi.
- 116 deaths, June 8, 1953, in Flint, Michigan.
- 114 deaths, May 11, 1953, in Waco, Texas.
- 114 deaths, May 18, 1902, in Goliad, Texas.
- 103 deaths, March 23, 1913, in Omaha, Nebraska.
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