wiped out. the candle factory in mayfield, you know, 110 people working in it when it hit, and we have been able to rescue 40. but it s been about 27 hours since we have rescued a live person. our coverage is going to continue with ali velshi in mayfield, kentucky, at well as about a half hour away from there, ellison barber. with a welcome to you both. ali, you first with regard to the latest on the ground with recovery efforts and also just how people are grappling with this. when i look at the devastation behind you, you think where do you even begin? yeah. yeah, when the governor says it s hard to imagine, it really is. we have got these aerial shots we have been showing you, but sometimes you just have to see up close. first of all, these power lines. there s are no electricity here. power lines and power poles like that power pole right there, that s the issue. the poles are down so there s nowhere to connect the power lines to. look at this.
more than 50,000 residents are still without power now in kentucky. this comes as state officials fear that the death toll will climb, likely surpassing 80. in mayfield, recovery efforts are ongoing as it struck a candle factory while workers were still inside. 40 workers have been rescued and dozens still reported missing. in edwardsville, illinois, a damaged amazon warehouse recovery efforts are expected to take days as crews sift through rubble. already six have died there. president biden has vowed to provide assistance for those states dealing with those storms. now back to politics nation with reverend al sharpton.
dozens are feared dead and debris in some places launched seven miles high. the bluegrass state of kentucky is among the hardest hit, so we begin there tonight with cbs david begnaud in mayfield, kentucky. good evening. reporter: good evening. this is the downtown, and as you look right to left, just about everything has been hit, and most of everything has been leveled. as you look everywhere around here, mayfield is a town that dates back to the 19th century. they boast on their website they still manufacture things they sell in mayfield. they say they ve survived wars and depressions, but last night they were devastated by this act of nature. the level of devastation is unlike anything i have ever seen. reporter: that is kentucky s governor andy brasher talking about the tornado that was on the ground for more than 200 miles. it wiped out entire communities. there will be probably up to
now, the good news in all of this, the cdc says so far, omicron does appear to be mild and so far, there have been no deaths reported and only one hospitalization due to this strain. lindsey? stephanie stanton, thank you so much. and thank you for watching msnbc reports. i m lindsey reiser. i ll be back next weekend at 7:00 a.m. eastern. velshi who s live in mayfield, kentucky, starts right now. good morning. it is sunday, december the 12th. i m ali velshi in mayfield, kentucky. this is ground zero of the series of tornadoes that hit on friday night into saturday morning. striking across six states. let me tell you a little bit about where we are right now. take a look at this drone video. this is what s left of mayfield, kentucky. immense devastation. homes, various structures reduced to rubble after what s being called a quad state tornado. this is a pretty rare set of
msnbc s ali velshi in mayfield, kentucky. ali, the people there are just starting to put their lives back together. where do they even begin? reporter: it s hard to believe when you look at this destruction which we ve been showing you. there s some municipal and state workers who are involved. there are some trucks in here, they re getting the bricks away, trying to create space for people who have private businesses or homes to get clearing done. there s a table over there that s been set up that s got food and water for people. but behind me, just to give you a scale of the type of destruction, this mound of rubble and wood was something called carr s steakhouse, an active and well-known establishment, a restaurant here. i m here with daniel carr, one of the co-owners. it s his family that owns this. you re very good humored about this right now, maybe because