Tornadoes in Kentucky
On Dec. 10, a severe tornado outbreak unleashed at least 50 tornadoes across the mid-South, destroying homes and entire communities and causing widespread damage to farmlands and livestock facilities.
Officials fear the death toll could exceed 80 people, with more than 70 of those people located in Kentucky. The most significant casualties include an occupied candle factory in Kentucky, an Amazon warehouse in Illinois and a nursing home in Arkansas.
While the full cost of the damage is not yet known, 12 Kentucky counties have sustained serious damage from the storms. Farmers and ranchers have not been spared from the destruction, with some producers losing their entire feed supply or a significant portion of their herds.
Kentucky Department of Agriculture Commissioner Dr. Ryan Quarles told reporters damage assessments are still underway but are challenging because of the sheer scale of the damage zone.
"The storm basically ripped through farms from the Mississippi River all the way to basically Louisville, Kentucky," he said. "We have dead cattle and barns down 200 miles away from when this tornado touched down."
Kentucky is the largest beef supplier east of the Mississippi. A lot of cattle are still missing, but according to reports of less than a week after the tornadoes, at least 200 cattle were confirmed dead. "We expect that to be a conservative estimate, but the path of destruction simply cannot be underestimated," Quarles said.
The poultry industry has taken a huge hit as well. A hatchery in Mayfield, Kentucky, lost 8 million eggs, which would have supplied almost 200 farms in the region, and a feed mill that supplied grain to poultry operations will be out of commission for almost eight months. Also, about 30 chicken barns have collapsed or are beyond repair.
The University of Kentucky College of Agriculture has created a resource page to assist those impacted by the tornadoes and those wishing to provide aid.
Fires in Kansas
On Wednesday, Dec. 15, winds reaching up to 90 mph in some areas, combined with low humidity and dry vegetation and grasses sparked wildfires in parts of western and central Kansas.
The Kansas Forest Service said Dec. 16 that 11 large fires burned nearly 400,000 acres in the state, which is entering its dry season, while the extreme western part is impacted by drought. The agency reported that the largest fire, dubbed for now the “Four Counties Fire,” which is in portions of four counties between Codell and Russell, Kansas, burned approximately 365,000 acres.
The Kansas Army National Guard mobilized Black Hawk helicopters to assist the firefighters, but the winds gusting to 80 mph made it impossible for any aircraft to work the fires until Thursday when the wind speeds decreased. A weather station at the Russell Airport recorded wind gusts of 100 mph, which is 26 mph higher than the minimum speed for a Category 1 hurricane.
Hundreds of cattle have been killed, and several ranches and their accompanying outbuildings have been lost to the wildfires, but there no solid damage estimates available at this time.
The Kansas State University Extension is organizing efforts to aid those impacted by the wildfires. Donations of water, food, clothes and blankets are the main things needed, along with hay and feed for cattle. These supplies can be brought to the 4H building in Russell, Kansas. More information can be found here.
