Biden approves Kentucky emergency declaration for tornado disaster
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(Reuters) — President Joe Biden on Saturday approved an emergency declaration for Kentucky after the state was battered by a swarm of tornadoes that has killed at least 70 people.
The storms, which weather forecasters said are unusual in cooler months, demolished a candle factory and a fire station in one Kentucky town, devastated a Missouri nursing home and have killed at least two workers in an Amazon.com warehouse in Illinois.
Biden has ordered federal aid to supplement the response from state and local authorities, the White House said.
Biden had previously spoken with the governors of five of the states hit by the storms – Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri and Tennessee – to express condolences and a commitment to delivering aid quickly, according to the White House.
Emergency response workers dig through the rubble of the Mayfield Consumer Products candle factory in Mayfield, Ky., Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021. Tornadoes and severe weather caused catastrophic damage across multiple states late Friday, killing several people overnight. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley) 
Damage from a tornado is seen in downtown Mayfield, Ky. on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021. Tornadoes and severe weather caused catastrophic damage across multiple states late Friday, killing several people overnight. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey) 
A family digs through the remains of their apartment in Mayfield, Ky., Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021. Tornadoes and severe weather caused catastrophic damage across multiple states late Friday, killing several people overnight. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley) 
Authorities survey damage from a tornado is seen in Mayfield, Ky., on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021. Tornadoes and severe weather caused catastrophic damage across multiple states late Friday, killing several people overnight. (AP Photo/STF 
People survey damage from a tornado is seen in Mayfield, Ky., on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021. Tornadoes and severe weather caused catastrophic damage across multiple states late Friday, killing several people overnight. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey) 
Authorities survey damage from a tornado is seen in Mayfield, Ky., on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021. Tornadoes and severe weather caused catastrophic damage across multiple states late Friday, killing several people overnight. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey) 
People survey damage from a tornado is seen in Mayfield, Ky., on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021. Tornadoes and severe weather caused catastrophic damage across multiple states late Friday, killing several people overnight. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey) 
People survey damage from a tornado is seen in Mayfield, Ky., on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021. Tornadoes and severe weather caused catastrophic damage across multiple states late Friday, killing several people overnight. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey) 
People survey damage from a tornado is seen in Mayfield, Ky., on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021. Tornadoes and severe weather caused catastrophic damage across multiple states late Friday, killing several people overnight. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey) 
A person walks through debris and damage from a tornado in Mayfield, Ky., on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021. Tornadoes and severe weather caused catastrophic damage across multiple states Friday, killing multiple people overnight. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey) 
A person walks through debris and damage from a tornado in Mayfield, Ky., on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021. Tornadoes and severe weather caused catastrophic damage across multiple states Friday, killing multiple people overnight. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey) 
Automobiles line up near debris from tornado damage in Mayfield, Ky., on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021. Tornadoes and severe weather caused catastrophic damage across multiple states Friday, killing multiple people overnight. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey) 
People survey damage from a tornado in Mayfield, Ky., on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021. Tornadoes and severe weather caused catastrophic damage across multiple states Friday, killing multiple people overnight. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey) 
Dog owner Derrick Starks, left, Chris Buchanan, center and Niki Thompson, right, both from neighboring counties, attempt to rescue Cheyenne from a tornado-damaged home in Mayfield, Ky., on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021. Tornadoes and severe weather caused catastrophic damage across multiple states late Friday, killing dozens of people overnight. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey) 
In this aerial photo, a collapsed factory is seen with workers searching for survivors, Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021, in Mayfield, Ky., after tornadoes came through the area the previous night. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)