Late on December 11, multiple tornadoes touched down in a line that raged across several Midwest states, leaving a trail of widespread destruction and causing at least 80 deaths. Some of the heaviest damage took place in a number of small communities in Kentucky, especially the town of Mayfield, where a factory and most of the downtown area were flattened. Collected below are images from Mayfield and the surrounding region, where survivors are searching for the missing, assessing the damage, and starting a long recovery effort.
The Aftermath of the Devastating Tornado Outbreak in Kentucky
- Alan Taylor
- December 12, 2021
- 30 Photos
- In Focus
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In this aerial view, homes and businesses sit destroyed after a tornado ripped through town the previous evening, on December 11, 2021, in Mayfield, Kentucky. #
Scott Olson / Getty -
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Mart Egbert collects Christmas gifts meant for his grandchildren from what is left of his home in Dawson Springs, Kentucky. #
Minh Connors / Usa Today Network via Reuters -
An overhead view of the damage in Mayfield after a devastating outbreak of tornadoes ripped through several U.S. states on December 11. #
Cheney Orr / Reuters -
Debris is seen wrapped around damaged trees as emergency workers search through what is left of the Mayfield Consumer Products candle factory in Mayfield. #
John Amis / AFP / Getty -
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A general view of the damage and debris of a candle factory, seen in Mayfield #
Cheney Orr / Reuters -
Members of a local mission group pray with a resident that survived the tornado in Mayfield. #
Brett Carlsen / Getty -
Local residents walk past the scene of a train derailment in Earlington, Kentucky, on December 11. #
Cheney Orr / Reuters -
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Debris lies strewn across railroad tracks in Mayfield. #
Cheney Orr / Reuters -
People work at the scene of a train derailment in Earlington. #
Cheney Orr / Reuters -
People inspect the remains of a destroyed business in Mayfield. #
Mark Humphrey / AP -
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Traffic backs up amid tornado debris and cleanup efforts in Mayfield. #
Brett Carlsen / Getty -
In this aerial view, homes are seen badly damaged and destroyed in Mayfield on December 11. #
Scott Olson / Getty -
A person walks through the remains of several apartment units in Mayfield. #
Mark Humphrey / AP -
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An overturned passenger van rests in an empty field in a rural neighborhood in Mayfield. #
Brett Carlsen / Getty -
A playground in a heavily damaged neighborhood is seen at dawn in Dawson Springs on December 12. #
Jon Cherry / Reuters -
The site of a roof collapse at an Amazon distribution center, seen a day after a series of tornadoes dealt a blow to several U.S. states, in Edwardsville, Illinois, on December 11 #
Drone Base / Reuters -
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People work inside a destroyed home in Mayfield. #
Cheney Orr / Reuters -
A mailbox stands in front of a site where a home once stood in Earlington. #
Cheney Orr / Reuters -
Volunteers unload cases of bottled water for community distribution at a mobile emergency-management center in Dawson Springs. #
Jon Cherry / Reuters -
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A destroyed post-office delivery truck is seen after extreme weather hit Mayfield. #
Brendan Smialowski / AFP / Getty -
Christopher Bowlin, 24, sits by a fire outside his home, using it to boil eggs and stay warm, in Mayfield. #
Cheney Orr / Reuters -
A view of the tornado damage in Mayfield #
Tayfun Coskun / Anadolu Agency / Getty -
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A view from inside the damaged Emmanuel Baptist Church in Mayfield on the night of December 11 #
Tayfun Coskun / Anadolu Agency / Getty -
An aerial view of the damage in Mayfield, seen on December 11 #
Cheney Orr / Reuters -
Tornado-damaged structures stand in a neighborhood in Mayfield. #
Brett Carlsen / Getty -
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Chris Buchanan (right) lures Cheyenne the dog from a tornado-damaged home, with help from Niki Thompson, in Mayfield. #
Mark Humphrey / AP -
A storm-damaged house stands crookedly in Mayfield. #
Cheney Orr / Reuters -
Emergency workers search what is left of the Mayfield Consumer Products candle factory after it was destroyed by a tornado. #
John Amis / AFP / Getty -
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People walk across a lawn covered with bits of fiberglass insulation in Mayfield. #
Mark Humphrey / AP -
Irene Noltner consoles Jody O'Neill outside the Lighthouse, a women-and-children's shelter that was destroyed by a tornado, along with much of Mayfield's downtown. #
Matt Stone / Usa Today Network via Reuters
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