Kentucky tornado survivors share their experience 9:24
(CNN) -
As thousands of homeless and homeless people try to recover from the deadliest December tornado event in US history;
Efforts in Kentucky are now focused on the arduous tasks of rebuilding shattered communities, where electricity could take months to restore.
A candlelight vigil was held Tuesday night in Mayfield, one of the worst-hit towns in western Kentucky, where at least 74 people were killed.
Between prayers and hymns, pastors from churches in the area spoke of the deceased and the challenges faced by those who have survived.
Stories of survivors of candle factory hit by tornado in Kentucky
Tens of thousands still without power in Kentucky
By Monday, power had been restored to about 10,000 homes and businesses in Kentucky, according to the state's Emergency Management Director Michael Dossett, and there are about 18,500 active outages.
These figures do not even include Mayfield, a town of 10,000, which he says "does not exist."
The power supply in this town will take "weeks and months" to rebuild, he said.
Hear how this man and his dog survived a 1:18 tornado
"Being on the ground will take your breath away," Dossett said of the catastrophic damage.
"It's just indescribable in some places."
advertising
At least 14 other people died in Arkansas, Tennessee, Illinois and Missouri.
According to the National Weather Service, more than 60 reports of tornadoes were recorded in eight Midwest and southern states on Friday night and Saturday morning.
Multiple reports can refer to the same tornado, and weather service teams have yet to determine how many tornadoes hit the region.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said more than 500 National Guard members were on the ground assisting with tasks, including search and extraction, road clearance and traffic control.
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recovery teams are in Kentucky for the short and long term, Dossett said.
The agency has started the "blue tarp process" to cover the damaged houses and is also in the process of removing debris, he added.
Two FEMA teams will work Wednesday to assess storm damage in Arkansas, Governor Asa Hutchinson said.
At least 300 structures were affected by the storms, he said, with 61 destroyed.
US President Joe Biden traveled to Kentucky on Wednesday to meet with victims and assess the damage, the White House said.
A candlelight vigil was held Tuesday in Mayfield, Kentucky.
The president will ensure that "we are doing everything possible to deliver assistance as quickly as possible to impacted areas to support recovery efforts," Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday.
"He wants those on the ground to know that the federal government is there to provide whatever support is necessary."
"He was definitely being crushed"
Mayfield is the scene of some of the biggest damage, where more than 100 employees working in a candle factory were caught in the path of a tornado.
At least eight people died when the building was destroyed.
Jim Douglas was in so much pain as he lay crushed under what he believes to be 15 feet of rubble that he was "praying for God to take me away."
Then the lifeguards came up to him.
"They are heroes. And not because they saved me, but because they saved a lot of people," Douglas told CNN.
In an interview from a hospital bed, where he is recovering from nerve damage and slowly regaining the use of his arms and legs, Douglas described how an interior wall fell on him, hitting him on the head and knocking him to the ground. .
"It was very fast. It was like the different layers were coming down and I could feel my body becoming more compact," he said.
"He was definitely being crushed."
When rescue teams arrived an hour later, "they couldn't have done a better job of extracting me," he said.
Cleanup efforts in Mayfield, Kentucky continue after deadly storms.
Douglas, who has worked at the factory for two and a half years, thought about leaving as the storm approached, but decided to hang on at the factory after talking to his family.
He said that once he recovers, he plans to go back to work.
"In the end I'm going to be walking and I'm going to be working somewhere, I promise you," Douglas said.
Reported deaths include a 2-month-old baby
More deaths are being reported in western Kentucky after the string of storms.
Two-month-old Oaklynn Koon died Monday morning from injuries sustained when a tornado struck her grandmother's Dawson Springs home, her paternal grandmother, Audrey Carman, told CNN.
The girl, her two brothers and her parents were sheltering at her maternal grandmother's house when the tornado struck.
Koon's parents tried to protect their children by hiding them in the bathtub and covering them with sofa cushions, but the tornado lifted the house and the family fell on the other side of the neighbor's house, Carman said.
"We didn't have a lot of time with it, but we loved the time we got to spend on it," Carman told CNN.
Mayfield, Kentucky: Death and Destruction by Tornadoes 3:36
About 70 kilometers east of Dawson Springs, six family members were killed when a tornado struck their home in Bowling Green, a relative told CNN.
Rachael Brown, 36, and Steven Brown, 35, were with their four children and Rachael's mother, Victoria Smith, 64, when a tornado struck their home.
All three adults and three of the children - Nariah Cayshelle, 16;
Nolynn, 8;
and Nyles, 4 - were killed in the tornado, Rachael Brown's aunt, Dornicho Jackson McGee, told CNN.
The couple's 13-year-old daughter is still missing.
"They loved their family. They loved their children," McGee said.
Authorities are welcoming efforts to help those in need.
The Western Kentucky Tornado Relief Fund has raised more than $ 9.89 million for residents, Governor Beshear announced Tuesday.
Donations can be made on their website.
With input from Brynn Gingras, Sarah Boxer, Caroll Alvarado, Jenn Selva, Tina Burnside, Nikki Carvajal, Amy Simonson, and Joseph Bonheim.
kentucky tornado