operations i should say have shifted into search and recovery operations. officials not expecting to find anyone else alive underneath the rubble. it is mayfield, kentucky, though, that may be the hardest hit area in this set of storms. it s estimated that more than 100 people were working in a candle factory when the tornado hit, and kentucky s governor andy beshear says just 40 have been rescued there. officials and loved ones have been searching for the missing and they are stunned by what they re seeing. here s some of what they shared with us. this is probably the worst thing i ever seen in my life in person and i ve been several places and i ve seen, you know this is terrible. somebody said that s the candle factory right there. you got to be kidding me. it was nothing but a pile of metal, and it was just shock. tell you these storms have completely altered the landscape
it was nothing but a pile of metal. it was just shock. these storm have completely, as you can see, altered the landscape of mayfield. in fact, there are just a few buildings standing in the town of about 10,000 people. the national guard and other kentucky commonwealth personnel are conducting house-to-house searches and debris removal. kentucky s governor and president biden each reassured kentuckians that everything is being done to help. the federal government is not going to walk away. this is one of those times when we aren t democrats or republicans. sounds like hyperbole, but it s real. we re all americans. we stand together as the united states of america. just want everybody to know that you are not alone. today kentucky is absolutely united, we re united with our people, we re united to find and rescue as many as possible. let s get straight to cnn s
. rescue teams are on the ground helping communities ravaged by friday and saturday s tornadoes and heads of homeland security and fema are heading to areas to assess the situation and try to figure out next steps. it is a massive effort, one that our next guest understand very well. joining us now is michael dossett, the director of kentucky s emergency management. michael, good morning and thank you for sharing some of your time with us. when we last spoke, you were still trying to get a real assessment of the extent of the damage in areas like mayfield where the candle factory collapsed. i know you just spoke with the governor, andy baseshear, in th last few minutes. what did the governor share with you? thank you for having us on today.
of mayfield, kentucky. in fact, there are just a few buildings that are left standing in the town of about 10,000. the national guard and other kentucky commonwealth personnel are conducting house-to-house searches and, of course, debris removal. kentucky s governor and president biden each reassuring kentuckians that everything is being done to help. the federal government is not going to walk away. this is one of those times when we aren t democrats or republicans. sounds like hyperbole, but it s real. we re all americans. we stand together as the united states of america. just want everybody to know that you are not alone. today kentucky is absolutely united, we re united with our people, we re united to find and rescue as many as possible. let s take you straight to mayfield, kentucky, now and cnn s nadia romero. nadia has been there since very early on, soon after these
no heat for anyone. it is cold, cold, cold. if there is someone trapped inside their home, maybe in a basement or cellar, you re trying so hard to get to them, that s why it s so important to have those resources come in like the national guard going door to door to try to make sure everyone that is inside of a building that may be trapped gets out safely. so much heart ache, so much work ahead, but as we have seen time and time again, what s been heartwarming is to see neighbors helping neighbors. nadi nadia romero, thank you for your reporting. it s the before and after images that really reveal the true scale of destruction from friday night s deadly tornados. just take a look, on the left you can see drone footage of the county courthouse in mayfield, kentucky, before the storm and then on the right that is the after picture. the same area completely destroyed. to monette, arkansas, what used to be a nursing home no longer recognizable. the entire area just wiped out.