Kentucky tornado: New aerial photos show destruction

MAYFIELD, Ky. (WKRN) — Cleanup continues around the Mayfield Consumer Products candle factory after a late-night tornado destroyed the building Friday night.

New aerial footage from Monday shows massive damage in the Kentucky city of 10,000.

MAYFIELD, KENTUCKY – DECEMBER 13: In this aerial view, crews clear the rubble at the Mayfield Consumer Products candle factory after it was destroyed by a tornado three days prior, on December 13, 2021 in Mayfield, Kentucky. Multiple tornadoes struck several Midwest states in the late evening on December 10, causing widespread destruction and multiple fatalities. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)MAYFIELD, KENTUCKY – DECEMBER 13: In this aerial view, crews clear the rubble at the Mayfield Consumer Products candle factory after it was destroyed by a tornado three days prior, on December 13, 2021 in Mayfield, Kentucky. Multiple tornadoes struck several Midwest states in the late evening on December 10, causing widespread destruction and multiple fatalities. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)MAYFIELD, KENTUCKY – DECEMBER 13: In this aerial view, crews clear the rubble at the Mayfield Consumer Products candle factory after it was destroyed by a tornado three days prior, on December 13, 2021 in Mayfield, Kentucky. Multiple tornadoes struck several Midwest states in the late evening on December 10, causing widespread destruction and multiple fatalities. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)MAYFIELD, KENTUCKY – DECEMBER 13: In this aerial view, homes and businesses are badly damaged following a tornado three days prior, on December 13, 2021 in Mayfield, Kentucky. Multiple tornadoes struck several Midwest states late evening on December 10, causing widespread destruction and multiple casualties. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)MAYFIELD, KENTUCKY – DECEMBER 13: In this aerial view, homes and businesses are badly damaged following a tornado three days prior, on December 13, 2021 in Mayfield, Kentucky. Multiple tornadoes struck several Midwest states late evening on December 10, causing widespread destruction and multiple casualties. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)MAYFIELD, KENTUCKY – DECEMBER 13: In this aerial view, homes and businesses are badly damaged following a tornado three days prior, on December 13, 2021 in Mayfield, Kentucky. Multiple tornadoes struck several Midwest states late evening on December 10, causing widespread destruction and multiple casualties. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)MAYFIELD, KENTUCKY – DECEMBER 13: In this aerial view, homes and businesses are badly damaged following a tornado three days prior, on December 13, 2021 in Mayfield, Kentucky. Multiple tornadoes struck several Midwest states late evening on December 10, causing widespread destruction and multiple casualties. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)MAYFIELD, KENTUCKY – DECEMBER 13: In this aerial view, homes and businesses are badly damaged following a tornado three days prior, on December 13, 2021 in Mayfield, Kentucky. Multiple tornadoes struck several Midwest states late evening on December 10, causing widespread destruction and multiple casualties. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)MAYFIELD, KENTUCKY – DECEMBER 13: In this aerial view, homes and businesses are badly damaged following a tornado three days prior, on December 13, 2021 in Mayfield, Kentucky. Multiple tornadoes struck several Midwest states late evening on December 10, causing widespread destruction and multiple casualties. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)MAYFIELD, KENTUCKY – DECEMBER 13: In this aerial view, homes and businesses are badly damaged following a tornado three days prior, on December 13, 2021 in Mayfield, Kentucky. Multiple tornadoes struck several Midwest states late evening on December 10, causing widespread destruction and multiple casualties. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)MAYFIELD, KENTUCKY – DECEMBER 13: In this aerial view, homes and businesses are badly damaged following a tornado three days prior, on December 13, 2021 in Mayfield, Kentucky. Multiple tornadoes struck several Midwest states late evening on December 10, causing widespread destruction and multiple casualties. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)MAYFIELD, KENTUCKY – DECEMBER 13: In this aerial view, homes and businesses are badly damaged following a tornado three days prior, on December 13, 2021 in Mayfield, Kentucky. Multiple tornadoes struck several Midwest states late evening on December 10, causing widespread destruction and multiple casualties. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)MAYFIELD, KENTUCKY – DECEMBER 13: In this aerial view, homes and businesses are badly damaged following a tornado three days prior, on December 13, 2021 in Mayfield, Kentucky. Multiple tornadoes struck several Midwest states late evening on December 10, causing widespread destruction and multiple casualties. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)MAYFIELD, KENTUCKY – DECEMBER 13: In this aerial view, homes and businesses are badly damaged following a tornado three days prior, on December 13, 2021 in Mayfield, Kentucky. Multiple tornadoes struck several Midwest states late evening on December 10, causing widespread destruction and multiple casualties. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)MAYFIELD, KENTUCKY – DECEMBER 13: In this aerial view, homes and businesses are badly damaged following a tornado three days prior, on December 13, 2021 in Mayfield, Kentucky. Multiple tornadoes struck several Midwest states late evening on December 10, causing widespread destruction and multiple casualties. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)MAYFIELD, KENTUCKY – DECEMBER 13: In this aerial view, homes and businesses are badly damaged following a tornado three days prior, on December 13, 2021 in Mayfield, Kentucky. Multiple tornadoes struck several Midwest states late evening on December 10, causing widespread destruction and multiple casualties. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

Gov. Andy Beshear said 94 of the 110 employees from the Mayfield Candle Factory are alive and accounted for during a media briefing on Monday. Eight employees have been confirmed dead and eight more are still missing.

The governor announced Monday the state’s total death toll from the storms had risen to 74, 69 of whom have been identified. At least 109 Kentuckians are still missing.


Candle factory employees told they’d be fired if they left work early: report

Kentucky residents in the storm’s path could be without heat, water or electricity in frigid temperatures for weeks or longer, state officials warned Monday.

“Our infrastructure is so damaged. We have no running water. Our water tower was lost. Our wastewater management was lost, and there’s no natural gas to the city. So we have nothing to rely on there,” Mayfield Mayor Kathy Stewart O’Nan said on ”CBS Mornings.” “So that is purely survival at this point for so many of our people.”

Possibly the first-ever “quad-state” tornado, which may have been on the ground through parts of Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee, and Kentucky, left the path of destruction. It will be days before the National Weather Service will be able to confirm whether this was one tornado or multiple tornadoes.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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