Factory workers sought refuge in what was supposed to be the safest part of the building, but it may not have mattered because the twister Friday night was so monstrous, Gov. Andy Beshear said. Authorities on Saturday reported rescuing 40 of the 110 people who were in the building at the time, but by Sunday, hope of finding anyone else alive had all but evaporated.
A nursing home and an Amazon distribution center also were smashed in other states in the unusual mid-December swarm of twisters. He said that going door to door in search of victims is out of the question in the hard-hit areas: "There are no doors." The storm was all the more remarkable because it came in December, when normally colder weather limits tornadoes.
The missing at the candle factory included Janine Denise Johnson Williams, a 50-year-old mother of four whose family members kept vigil at the site Saturday. Kyanna Parsons-Perez, an employee at the factory, was trapped under 5 feet of debris for at least two hours until rescuers managed to free her.