Search continues for victims of tornadoes that killed dozens in central U.S.

A spokesperson for the Kentucky candle factory that was leveled by a tornado told The Associated Press on Sunday that eight people were confirmed dead at the factory and eight people are still missing. Ninety people who were at the factory have been located. 

Officials had feared a higher death toll as 110 people were believed to be inside the factory during the storm and only 40 people were initially pulled from the rubble. Bob Ferguson, a spokesman for the company, said many of the employees were gathered in a tornado shelter and they went to their homes after the storm. 

"With the power out and no landline, they were hard to reach initially," Ferguson said. "We're hoping to find more of those eight unaccounted as we try their home residences."

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said Sunday that the number of deaths remained the same as Saturday, although he said he was mindful that "those numbers are going to continue to grow as we go house to house, home to home."

Beshear said there have been no live rescues since 3 p.m. Saturday at the candle factory, but the numbers will not be updated until a body is identified and the family is notified. Beshear said he believed at least four counties were going to have death tolls in the double digits. 

Beshear said he estimated that thousands of homes had been decimated. 

Homeland Security chief Alejando Mayorkas said the federal government is delivering food and water and providing shelter, power and all necessary aid to the communities affected. 

The National Weather Service said the historic tornado that was on the ground for well over 100 miles has been classified as an E3, although it could be reassessed as they study the effects on the ground. 

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said Sunday that the state had been granted an "immediate" federal state of emergency. There are believed to be 36,000-56,000 without power. 

"I wish I understood why we've been hit by the pandemic, historic ice storm, flooding, and now the worst tornado in our history," Beshear said. 

"We're going to grieve together, we're going to dig out and clean up together and we will rebuild and move forward together," Beshear added. 

Beshear said one of the biggest challenges will be organizing the amount of supplies donated to help the state's residents. The National Guard has been activated, and there are more than 300 Guardsmen deployed, Beshear said. He also said the state parks are open for residents to take shelter. 

 Officials from hard-hit Bowling Green utilities say it will take weeks, not days, to get everyone's power back. There were initially 31,000 without power, and it's now down to 5,600, CBS Louisville affiliate WLKY reported. 

The Bowling Green fire chief said Sunday they are beginning to search the debris left behind after finishing primary and secondary searches. Fire officials asked for patience as they work through the process, which they believe will take several days, WLKY reported. 

CBS News' David Begnaud reports from Mayfield, Kentucky, where the tornado that hit could be one of the most intense and longest ever recorded.

Police in Edwardsville, Illinois, said the coroner had identified the six people who were killed when a roof collapsed at an Amazon warehouse:

• Deandre Morrow, 28, St. Louis, Missouri

• Kevin Dickey, 62, Carlyle, Illinois

• Clayton Lynn Cope, 29, Alton, Illinois

• Etheria Hebb, 34, St. Louis, Missouri

• Larry Virden, 46, Collinsville, Illinois

• Austin McEwen, 26, Edwardsville, Illinois

In a statement, police said they had no reports of anyone who is still missing, but encouraged residents to report relatives who may still be unaccounted for. Search efforts were continuing, the statement said, "to ensure that there are no additional victims."

CBS News meteorologist and climate specialist Jeff Berardelli discusses the historic and rare nature of the deadly tornadoes that ravaged six states:

Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson credited staff at a nursing home in Monette, Arkansas, for saving the lives of its residents when a tornado hit Friday. One person was killed at the care facility, which Hutchinson said was a "miracle."

"The staff did an incredible job of using their own body to shield some of the residents, and the fact that there was a warning system in place helped them to move them into the hallway that saved lives, and really emphasize the importance of the early warning system, the sirens and taking action whenever you hear that," Hutchinson told "Face the Nation."

Transcript: Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson on "Face the Nation"

More than 20,000 people in Arkansas were without power after the storm hit, though power companies have been working to restore electricity to those affected. Hutchinson said the tornado hit more heavily populated areas of the state rather than rural areas, resulting in an "enormous loss of homes and businesses," which will prolong recovery efforts.

"We have hundreds and hundreds of homes that have been lost, businesses that have been totally destroyed," he said. "There's going to be of course the shelter and other costs associated with it, and there's a lot of public infrastructure that has been damaged through this from fire stations to otherwise."

Arkansas has in recent years experienced bouts of extreme weather, including catastrophic flooding in 2019. To prepare for future weather events, Hutchinson said the state is planning to bolster its resiliency and recovery efforts.

"The infrastructure bill that was passed in Congress will help us to address some of these needs, particularly in our water infrastructure, but also our levee system and our irrigation systems that are part of our infrastructure that are damaged by these severe weather events, particularly the flooding," he said 

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said the tornado that ravaged his state Friday has left unparalleled damage, with several Kentucky cities leveled and effectively wiped off the map.

'It's a tough morning. It's devastation like none of us have ever seen before," Beshear said in an interview with "Face the Nation." "I know that we've lost now more than 80 people, but it's going to exceed 100. But we're digging out. We are tough. We're going to grieve and then we're going to rebuild."

Among those killed in the tornado were "a number of kids," including a 3-year-old and a 5-year-old.

• Transcript: Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear on "Face the Nation"

"This tornado didn't discriminate against anybody in its path, even if they were trying to be safe," he said. "Again, just like nothing we've ever seen before."

To assist families who lost their homes in the tornado, Beshear said the state opened 11 shelters, though six remain in operation as communities welcomed into their homes those affected by the storms. While rescue efforts continue, the governor said his administration's primary focus is finding shelter for those who lost their houses.

"We're going to have lost thousands of homes because when this tornado hit, it didn't rip a roof off. I mean, it obliterated houses, just totally gone," Beshear said. "So, there's going to be a lot of work and Kentuckians need to know that we're going to be with them, and the country is going to be with them, not just today and not just this week, but in the months and even the years to come."

For Americans looking to provide assistance to those impacted by the outbreak, Beshear said the state has launched a relief fund for families from western Kentucky. Donations will first be used to help cover funeral expenses, and then for rebuilding.

"We're going to make it, and we're going to see the other side. We're going to rebuild," Beshear said.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said he is heading to Kentucky on Sunday to meet with the governor and local officials and assess the damage caused by the storms:

Mayorkas oversees the Department of Homeland Security, which includes FEMA. Mr. Biden tasked FEMA with coordinating the federal response to the disaster on Saturday.

Satellite photos provided by the firm Maxar show the path of destruction carved by the storms, including at the Amazon warehouse in Illinois where at least six people were killed and a candle factory in Kentucky where dozens were rescued. 

The storm swept across the east side of one of the facility's buildings, reducing it to rubble. The first photo below was taken in September, and the second was taken on Saturday:

Other photos show the devastation in Mayfield, Kentucky, one of the communities hardest hit by the storms. The first photo was taken in 2017, and the second shows the same area on Saturday:

A candle factory in Mayfield was also completely leveled by the twister. More than 100 employees were working at the site when the storms hit. Forty were rescued on Saturday. 

Read more here. 

Illinois Governor Pritzker confirmed six people died when an Amazon warehouse collapsed during Friday night's powerful storms. Forty-five people have been rescued from the facility in Edwardsville, and one was airlifted to a hospital.

"This is a difficult end to a difficult year," Pritzker said during a Saturday evening press conference.

Edwardsville Fire Chief James Whiteford said that the rescue effort has turned to a recovery effort, which will take about three more days to complete. 

Officials have not yet determined how many people are missing because Amazon does not know how many people were in the warehouse at the time of the incident, the fire chief said.

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos said in a statement Saturday night that, "We're heartbroken over the loss of our teammates there, and our thoughts and prayers are with their families and loved ones."

"All of Edwardsville should know that the Amazon team is committed to supporting them and will be by their side through this crisis," Bezos added. "We extend our fullest gratitude to all the incredible first responders who have worked so tirelessly at the site."

President Biden said his administration will "provide whatever is needed" for cities hit by severe weather and deadly tornadoes Friday night. 

"Whatever is needed, the federal government is going to find a way to supply it," Mr. Biden said Saturday at a press conference. 

The president said he plans to visit affected areas and has communicated with some governors of impacted states. He said the relief efforts will be prioritized "until we get this finished."

"I want folks in all these states to know we're going to get through this," Mr. Biden said. "We're going to get through this together, and the federal government is not going to walk away."