5:15
Beshear has activated the National Guard, with 181 guardsmen deployed for search and rescue and recovery operations.
\"We will get ... through this, we will rebuild,\" Beshear said early Saturday. \"We are strong, resilient people, and we will be there every step of the way.\"
\"Nothing left.\"
— ABC News (@ABC) December 11, 2021
Video shows utter devastation after tornadoes tear through Kentucky, leaving at least 50 dead. https://t.co/SqAqtO3MT0 pic.twitter.com/hJlUgzIC6P
![\"PHOTO:](\"http://a.abcnews.com/images/US/amazon-tornado-inside_hpMain_20211211-065901_4x3t_384.jpg\")
In southern Illinois, in Edwardsville, an Amazon distribution warehouse was hit by a tornado, causing massive damage to the facility, officials said. The EF-3 tornado had peak winds of at least 155 mph, according to the National Weather Service.
At least six people died in the collapse, Illinois Gov. J. B. Pritzker said Saturday evening. One person was receiving medical treatment, he added, with the effort shifting to a search and recovery mission.
\"This is a tragic day in Illinois history,\" the governor said during a press briefing.
Several dozen workers were able to escape from the building on their own, Edwardsville Police Chief Michael Fillback said Saturday morning.
Drone footage shows massive damage to Amazon warehouse facility in Illinois after tornadoes tore through the region; at least two are confirmed dead, officials say, and search and rescue efforts are ongoing. https://t.co/8TjaEeXbou pic.twitter.com/Lb30N6jFSn
— ABC News (@ABC) December 11, 2021
In a statement Saturday night, Kelly Nantel, an Amazon spokesperson, said: \"We’re deeply saddened by the news that members of our Amazon family passed away as a result of the storm in Edwardsville, IL. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their loved ones, and everyone impacted by the storm. We also want to thank all the first responders for their ongoing efforts on scene.\"
Amazon said emergency safety training in case of tornadoes is given to new employees and repeated throughout the year.
![\"PHOTO:](\"http://a.abcnews.com/images/US/amazon-warehouse-collapse_hpMain_20211211-052436_4x3t_384.jpg\")
In Tennessee, four people died as a result of the storms, Tennessee Emergency Management Agency Chief of Staff Alex Pellom said. Another person remains missing in Lake County, he said.
There were at least 22 reported tornadoes across six states: Arkansas, Kentucky, Illinois, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee. In addition to Edwardsville, two EF-3 tornadoes were confirmed in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and near Defiance, Missouri, according to the National Weather Service.
A powerful supercell thunderstorm traveled more than 200 miles Friday night, from Arkansas to Kentucky, and likely spawned several large, strong tornadoes across four states.
![\"PHOTO:](\"http://a.abcnews.com/images/US/tornado-2-gty-er-211211_1639229707377_hpMain_4x3t_384.jpg\")
Michael Dossett, director of Kentucky's Division of Emergency Management, compared the storms to the April 1974 outbreak that spawned hundreds of tornadoes across several states and killed more than 30 in Kentucky alone.
\"Rescues and search efforts are ongoing -- even before the wind stopped blowing, crews were out working,\" Dossett said Saturday morning.
Despite a COVID-19 surge in Kentucky, Beshear said hospitals were in good shape.
The governor declared a state of emergency and submitted a request for a federal emergency declaration. President Joe Biden approved the emergency declaration, which applies to 15 impacted counties, Saturday afternoon.
JUST IN: Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear submits request to Pres. Biden for federal emergency declaration.
— ABC News (@ABC) December 11, 2021
\"This has been one of the toughest nights in Kentucky's history, with multiple counties impacted and a significant loss of life.\" https://t.co/BvQwdkoMmv pic.twitter.com/gRF1CyiDFS
The White House said Saturday it is in touch with state and local officials and will provide the federal government's \"full support as needed.\"
\"To lose a loved one in a storm like this is an unimaginable tragedy,\" Biden said on Twitter. \"We're working with Governors to ensure they have what they need as the search for survivors and damage assessments continue.\"
During a press briefing Saturday, Biden said this was likely \"one of the largest tornado outbreaks in our history.\"
\"We're going to get through this together and the federal government is not going to walk away,\" Biden said. \"I say to all the victims, you're in our prayers.\"
NEW: Pres. Biden says he is \"monitoring\" the devastating tornadoes that impacted the midwest and south \"very closely.\"
— ABC News (@ABC) December 11, 2021
\"This is likely one of the largest tornado outbreaks in our history.\" https://t.co/emO1xnf6pi pic.twitter.com/3nAArDV71C
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas also pledged assistance to people affected by the tornadoes.
\"Heartbreaking devastation and loss of life from tornadoes and severe weather across the Midwest and South,\" he said on Twitter, adding that DHS and FEMA \"stand ready to assist the people of Kentucky, Arkansas, Illinois, Missouri and Tennessee.\"
![\"PHOTO:](\"http://a.abcnews.com/images/US/tornado-warnings-abc-mo-20211211_1639218902340_hpEmbed_5x3_384.jpg\")
In Madisonville, Kentucky, a train derailment was caused by the storms, though no injuries were reported. The freight train was carrying hazardous materials, Beshear wrote in his letter asking for a federal emergency declaration.
The storms caused tornadoes to form in the early evening hours west of Kentucky.
Shortly before 7 p.m. local time, a \"large and extremely dangerous tornado\" was confirmed near Jonesboro, Arkansas, moving northeast at 60 mph, according to the National Weather Service.
![\"PHOTO:](\"http://a.abcnews.com/images/US/nursing-home-2-ht-ps-2111211_1639230345017_hpEmbed_16x9_384.jpg\")
A tornado near Hornersville, Missouri, was on the ground at about 8 p.m. local time. Tornadoes were also confirmed on the ground in Mayfield, Kentucky, at about 9:30 p.m. local time and in Princeton, Kentucky, just after 10 p.m.
There were reports of two people dead after a tornado moved through northeast Arkansas, according to Gov. Asa Hutchinson. One person was killed at a nursing home in Monette when a suspected tornado moved through Friday night, Craighead County, Arkansas, Judge Marvin Day told Jonesboro ABC affiliate KAIT. Authorities had initially said two people were killed. Five others suffered serious injuries.
![\"PHOTO:](\"http://a.abcnews.com/images/US/tornado-1-gty-er-211211_1639229707374_hpMain_4x3t_384.jpg\")
FEMA was advising residents from east-central Mississippi to extreme southwestern Virginia to stay vigilant as the storm system moved east.
As of 7:30 p.m. Saturday, more than 437,000 customers were without power across Tennessee, Michigan, Kentucky, Indiana and Arkansas.
ABC News' Victoria Arancio, Ahmad Hemingway, Matt Foster, Hope Osemwenkhae and Matthew Vann contributed to this report.
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