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At least 100 feared dead after tornadoes devastate six US states:
US President Joe Biden has pledged support to states affected by a swarm of devastating tornadoes that demolished homes, levelled businesses and left at least 100 people feared dead.
Describing the tornadoes as likely "one of the largest" storm outbreaks in history, Biden on Saturday approved an emergency disaster declaration for the worst-hit state of Kentucky, where at least 22 people have been confirmed dead.
"It's a tragedy," said a shaken Biden. "And we still don't know how many lives are lost and the full extent of the damage."
He added, "I promise you, whatever is needed – whatever is needed – the federal government is going to find a way to provide it."
The powerful twisters, which weather forecasters say are unusual in cooler months, destroyed a candle factory in Mayfield, Kentucky, ripped through a nursing home in neighbouring Arkansas, and killed at least six workers at an Amazon warehouse in Illinois.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said the collection of tornadoes was the most destructive in the state's history. He said about 40 workers had been rescued at the candle factory, which had about 110 people inside when it was reduced to a pile of rubble.
[...] Mayfield Fire Chief Jeremy Creason, whose own station was destroyed, said the candle factory was diminished to a "pile of bent metal and steel and machinery" and that responders had to at times "crawl over casualties to get to live victims".
[...] The tornado outbreak was triggered by a series of overnight thunderstorms, including a supercell storm that formed in northeast Arkansas. That storm moved from Arkansas and Missouri and into Tennessee and Kentucky.
Unusually high temperatures and humidity created the environment for such an extreme weather event at this time of year, said Victor Gensini, a professor in geographic and atmospheric sciences at Northern Illinois University.
"This is an historic, if not generational event," Gensini said.
If early reports are confirmed, the twister may have touched down for nearly 250 miles (400km), he said, a path length longer than the longest tornado on record, which tracked for about 220 miles (355 km) through Missouri, Illinois and Indiana in March 1925.
[...] The National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center said it received 36 reports of tornadoes touching down in Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri, Arkansas, and Mississippi.
[...] In Edwardsville, Illinois, Fire Chief James Whiteford said at least six people were killed when an Amazon warehouse collapsed. Some 45 people survived.
[...] In Monette, Arkansas, one person was killed and five seriously injured when a tornado tore through a nursing home with 90 beds.
Also at phys.org, CNET, and CNN
(Score: 2, Interesting) by TheGratefulNet on Sunday December 12 2021, @04:40PM (3 children)
well, the enemy declared they want us wiped out, any way they can.
I'm talking about red staters and trumpers. pretty much just where the big storm hit. (cue the 'where is your god now?' part)
as a liberal, I never wanted this war. I wanted to be left alone and to have our country make forward progress, not regression back to the bad old days.
but the red states will have none of that. they are doing all they can to set us backwards.
they are exstatic when bad things happen to blue states. they live for that kind of news.
its at the point where I'm all out of fucks to give, as the phrase goes. they actively do all they can to fuck us up. they attack our government and are basicially home grown terrorists at this point. and NOTHING SHOWS ANY SIGNS OF SLOWING DOWN. red states double down more and more.
so, I have no sad feelings when bad things happen to bad people. and sorry to say, but the whole bible belt can just fall into the ocean or be wiped off the planet by a super storm. and the earth will be smarter for it, by some measurable amount.
the sooner we end this culture war, the better; but the far right likes this war and has no plans to end it. so, well, fuck them. when they die, I just dont care anymore. all out of shits to give.
"It is now safe to switch off your computer."
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 12 2021, @05:35PM (1 child)
We need President Biden to make a sprawling speech about how State mismanagement caused the tornado and that's why he won't authorize federal help. That would be sweet.
(Score: 1, Offtopic) by TheGratefulNet on Sunday December 12 2021, @06:13PM
we need the right to come back (well, closer, anyway) to their senses so we can start to repair this country and get back to actual living.
its so tiring having to fight wedge issues just to placate the right and give their bored idiot something to do other than whittling wood and burning crosses on lawns.
the right can decide to stop the war THEY CREATED at any time, now.
any time you are ready, guys.
but until then, go ahead and continue to fuck off and die. deny the vaccine and keep dying. eventually we'll fix this problem. just a shame you guys had to learn it the hard way.
oh well.
"It is now safe to switch off your computer."
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 14 2021, @05:14AM
If you truly are liberal then you need to start seeing people as individuals and not demonize entire groups because you perceive some of them to have done the wrong thing. At the moment you are part of the problem.