Beshear says tornado ‘obliterated houses,’ predicts thousands will be lost

Gov. Andy Beshear (D-Ky.) on Sunday said the tornado that tore through Kentucky over the weekend “obliterated houses,” and predicted that thousands of homes will be lost.

“We’re gonna have lost thousands of homes, because when this tornado hit, it didn’t rip the roof off, I mean, it obliterated houses, just totally gone,” Beshear told host Margaret Brennan on CBS’s “Face the Nation.”

The storm left devastating damage and tens of thousands of people without power. Beshear told Brennan that more than 80 Kentuckians have died, but he expects that number to rise higher than 100.

Few buildings remain standing in Mayfield, Kentucky, which was among the hardest-hit localities in the state, according to CNN. One building that is of high concern is a candle factory in Mayfield, where roughly 110 people were working when the tornado touched down.

The building was leveled, according to CNN.

The governor on Sunday said the candle factory will be “the largest loss of life throughout the city of Mayfield, which is just leveled and gone.”

Beshear also revealed that a number of children have died in Kentucky as a result of the storm. He said the tornado “didn’t discriminate [against] anybody in its path, even if they were trying to be safe.”

“Just like nothing we’ve ever seen before,” he added.

Beshear said he is also experiencing personal loss from the storm noting that his uncle’s relatives died in Muhlenberg County.

He expressed optimism, however, telling Brennan: “We’re digging out, we’re tough, we’re going to grieve and then we’re going to rebuild.”