Following the devastating tornadoes that wiped through Kentucky and five other central and southern states on Friday night, mayor Chris Smiley of Dawson Springs, KY said on Sunday that an estimated 75% of the small town was destroyed.
"It's the worst thing I've ever seen," Smiley said.
The storms included at least 50 tornadoes reported, according to the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center. Dawson Springs is about 70 miles from the town of Mayfield, where a candle factory collapsed.
The death toll in the state is at least 70 people and is expected to exceed 100, according to Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear. He added that more than 300 National Guard troops are on duty across nine counties, and teams from FEMA are present helping as well.
Dawson Springs has about 2,500 people living in the town, and the list of missing persons contains more than 100 names, a Hopkins County emergency official said on Sunday. Authorities are hopeful that most of those names are of people that left town and have not checked in.
The death toll rose from 10 on Saturday to 13 on Sunday, Hopkins County Coroner Dennis Mayfield said. The fatalities range in age from 34 to 86, including two elderly sisters who lived together and a husband and wife. Rescue efforts continued on Sunday, but no survivors were pulled from the rubble.
"Almost an entire city has been displaced at this point," Nick Bailey, the director of emergency management in Hopkins County, said.
The American Red Cross is also helping the best they can with eight shelters, offering relief to more than 200 people, the group's Kentucky CEO Steven Cunanan said on Sunday.
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