Tornadoes Hit Six States in the US, Killing at Least 70

(Minghui.org)

This report covers the following incidents around the world:

At least 70 people were killed by tornadoes that tore through six states in the United States from Friday night to Saturday morning last week.
Storm Barra caused power outages in 60,000 households in Ireland.
Spain suffered casualties from heavy rainfall and landslides.
France was also hit by recording-breaking rainfall, causing floods.

Tornadoes in Six States in the US Kill at Least 70

More than 30 tornadoes hit six states in the United States from the evening of December 10 to the early morning of December 11, 2021. In Kentucky, the hardest-hit state, officials estimated that between 70 and 100 people were killed.

In addition to Kentucky, Arkansas, Illinois, Missouri, Tennessee, and Mississippi were also hit by tornadoes, causing deaths and property loss.

At a press conference at 5 a.m. on December 11, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said that the tornadoes hit the area at a speed of 227 miles (about 365 kilometers) per hour. There were at least four different tornadoes that night.

Governor Beshear described this as the most destructive tornadoes experienced by Kentucky. He said that the loss would be the most severe they had seen in a long time. The number of deaths may reach 70 to 100 people, involving at least 15 counties. He has declared a state of emergency in the state.

He also said that the large amount of rubble had made search and rescue work very difficult. The Kentucky National Guard has been deployed to provide help and support to the affected communities. He also asked the President of the United States to provide federal assistance. Beshear also warned that there would still be severe storms in the area.

In the city of Mayfield, a candle factory collapsed when there were about 110 people in the building. It was later learned that 8 workers died and everyone else had been accounted for.

According to a Louisville Courier report, hundreds of households in Jefferson County, Kentucky were out of power in the morning of December 11. An estimated 20,000 customers across the state lost power.

According to data from poweroutage.us, as of 6 a.m. Eastern time on Saturday (December 11), more than 300,000 customers in seven states had power outages.

According to New York Times, one of the tornadoes’ paths extended from Arkansas to Kentucky. If confirmed, it may be the longest tornado since 1925.

The storm system moved eastward, and as of the morning of December 11, the storm also triggered dozens of reports of strong winds and hail.

Storm Barra Caused Power Outages in 60,000 Households in Ireland, Spain, and France Suffered from Heavy Rainfall

Storm Barra landed on the southwest coast of Ireland on the morning of December 7 (Tuesday), causing localised flooding. Strong winds exceeding 140 kilometers per hour caused damage to the power supply. At least 59,000 homes, farms, and businesses’ power was cut off. The military was on standby to assist in rescue operations.

Storm Barra began to affect Spain on Wednesday (December 8), bringing heavy rainfall to the northern region and causing the water level of the Alga River to soar. A 49-year-old woman in the town of Zambila in the Autonomous Region of Navarre died when her house collapsed due to a landslide. Houses and cars in parts of the local area were submerged by floods. A man was trapped in a car and died in a landslide.

Local media reported that the scope and damage caused by the floods were the worst in Spain in 20 years.

Southwestern France was also hit by heavy rain on December 10, and the streets were flooded. The water of the Neve River in the city of Bayonne overflowed the embankment and reached a record high of 6.26 meters, breaking the record of 5.15 meters set during the December 2018 flood.

Social media videos showed that the flood level in Bayonne was knee-deep. Many vehicles were trapped in it. Citizens were wading through the water. Schools in some areas were also forced to close due to the severe weather.