Tornadoes in America - 15th December 2021

Tornadoes have badly damaged towns across the southern United States. The disaster on Friday 11th December destroyed homes and businesses.

Parts of central and southern US states were disaster areas. President Biden promised people all the help that they needed.

The state of Kentucky reported over 50 deaths. 6 employees died at an Amazon warehouse in Illinois.

Mayfield, Kentucky was the town which was most badly damaged. Very few buildings survived the tornadoes. Mayfield restaurant owner Mitchell Fowler has lost everything.

Mitchell Fowler: "Just, this is our home town, and it's just devastating. Everybody's lost everything. It's, it's just one of those things."

Tornadoes are fast, spinning tubes of air. They come when storms meet colder, dry air.

Weather computers are sometimes able to warn about tornadoes. The power of these tornadoes was surprising. It shocked resident David Norsworthy.

David Norsworthy: "I didn't really think that it would hit. I thought maybe the wind would get up, but we've never had anything like this here, never. The courthouse is torn up - it, it's all torn up. All of Mayfield is, down through there, she tore up - bad."

Mayfield's candle factory was destroyed with 110 people inside. Emergency services have rescued 90 factory workers and found 8 dead. One survivor is Fowler's brother-in-law.

Mitchell Fowler: "I had a brother in law that was trapped out in the candle factory all night. They found him this morning - he's still alive. He's do, he's at the hospital, but he's doing OK."

The huge storm created at least 30 tornadoes. One enormous tornado continued for 365 kilometres. Scientists worry climate change is making tornadoes more common.