Powerful storms and tornadoes have struck parts of Kentucky, Missouri, and Virginia, resulting in the deaths of more than 25 people. Homes were destroyed, trees were uprooted, and nearly 200,000 individuals were left without power. Local communities are struggling to cope with the extensive damage.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear stated on X that at least 18 people perished in the storms on Friday night, while local officials in Missouri reported another seven fatalities there. Local media also indicated that two people were killed by falling trees in Virginia.
Jamie Burns, 38, a resident of London, Kentucky, living with her husband and son in a trailer home, had to seek refuge in the basement of her sister’s brick house as the storm ravaged 100 to 200 homes in the vicinity.
“Things that have been here longer than I have, things that have been here for 30-plus years are just flat,” Burns told AFP in a phone interview, her voice trembling with emotion. “It’s wild, because you’ll look at one area and it’s just smashed… totally flattened, like, not there anymore.”
Drone footage released by local media depicted scenes of widespread devastation in London, with houses levelled to the ground and reduced to splinters, and tree trunks standing bare, completely stripped of their branches.
Beshear added that over 100,000 people in the state have been left without power, and a state of emergency has been declared in five counties. Eastern Kentucky, a region historically known for its coal mines, is one of the most economically disadvantaged areas in the country.
“A lot of us live in manufactured homes that aren’t safe for tornado weather,” Burns explained.
‘One of the worst storms’
In Missouri, five fatalities occurred in the major city of St. Louis, in what authorities described as one of the worst storms in its history, and two more in Scott County, according to a statement released by the State Highway Patrol to AFP.
The statement also noted that more than 80,000 people were left without power, and three shelters were opened in the affected area. Further severe weather was forecast for Sunday night and Monday.
When asked on Saturday by a reporter if it was the worst storm ever to hit St. Louis, Mayor Cara Spencer responded, “I would describe this as one of the worst storms — absolutely. The devastation is truly heartbreaking.”
She reported that 38 people in the city sustained injuries, and approximately 5,000 buildings were damaged.
In one St. Louis neighborhood, a church suffered extensive damage, according to CBS footage, and rescue workers continued to treat victims near the building on Saturday morning.
“It’s horrific for a tornado to come through here and cause this much damage to the residents and also to the church,” Derrick Perkins, a pastor at the Centennial Christian Church, told CBS. “Our hearts are broken.”
Bruce Madison, who also works at the church, stated that the community was uniting in the face of the tragedy. “Right now, we’re just praying for… everybody that they’re trying to find right now.”
While warnings were issued ahead of the severe weather — Beshear had proactively declared a state of emergency on Friday — the death toll may raise questions about whether significant budget cuts by the Trump administration have left National Weather Service forecasting teams dangerously understaffed.
An estimated 500 of the 4,200 NWS employees have been fired or taken early retirement this year, according to The Washington Post.
The United States experienced the second-highest number of tornadoes on record last year with nearly 1,800, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), surpassed only by the year 2004.
