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Kentucky tornadoes termination 19 arsenic FEMA faces cuts
As perchance terrible storms endanger parts of the Midwest and the South — which comes aft a drawstring of tornadoes person already near implicit 2 twelve dormant — residents volition apt person to crook to a weakened Federal Emergency Management Agency to assistance recovery.
In London, Kentucky, Michael Carnes clung to his household arsenic they heard the walls crumbling astir them erstwhile a tornado deed connected Friday.
"We ran into the closet nether the stairs, which we thought was the safest place, which it was cuz it's fundamentally the lone spot it wasn't damaged astatine all," helium recalled.
Across the state, authorities said 19 radical were killed after a tornado damaged hundreds of homes and tossed vehicles successful the air. With aggregate different residents hospitalized, the decease toll was expected to rise.
Extreme upwind has caused wide demolition successful the Bluegrass State. In April, dense rainfall led to large flooding successful what is present Kentucky's wettest twelvemonth connected record. And truthful acold successful 2025, much than 42 tornadoes person been reported.
A tornado deed London, Kentucky, connected Friday, May 16, 2025.
CBS News
Carnes and different survivors are picking up the pieces of what's left, and they're going to request a batch of help.
London Police and Laurel County officials person acceptable up sites for residents to prime up supplies and respective shelters person been opened. FEMA is besides connected the ground, officials archer CBS News, but the bureau is facing its ain challenges aft it mislaid astir a 3rd of its staff. About 1,800 employees took the Trump administration's buyout offer, a apical erstwhile FEMA authoritative told CBS News. Another 200 oregon truthful probationary workers were besides fired.
Earlier this month, the caput of FEMA was fired aft helium appeared to publically interruption with the Trump medication connected whether to destruct the nation's catastrophe alleviation agency. Cameron Hamilton, FEMA's acting administrator, departed astir 3 weeks earlier the commencement of the Atlantic hurricane season.
Last week, CBS News reported connected an interior FEMA reappraisal that said the catastrophe alleviation bureau is "not ready" for the hurricane season, which officially begins successful June.
Meanwhile, Congress is reviewing the Trump administration's proposal to slash FEMA's budget, nixing $646 cardinal successful non-disaster grants during the 2026 fiscal year.
President Trump has toyed with the thought of eliminating FEMA and successful March signed an executive order directing authorities and section governments to "play a much progressive and important role" successful preparing for emergencies. The medication has besides justified the projected cuts to the bureau and hiring overhaul as "cutting retired wasteful spending and bureaucracy."
Despite the layoffs and imaginable cuts, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said leaders astatine FEMA person vowed to help.
"The radical who've been harmed are gonna get our precise best. We're gonna combat for them," Beshear said Saturday. "I person nary criticisms of their operations connected the crushed and that's coming from a feline who's had disagreements with this president, but they've done a bully occupation erstwhile FEMA has travel into Kentucky and I'm grateful."
For now, Carnes and his neighbors accidental they consciousness overwhelmed. When asked what is adjacent for him to do, Carnes said he'll astir apt record for alleviation with the Red Cross and FEMA.
"And conscionable effort to get arsenic overmuch assistance arsenic we tin to rebuild," Carnes said, "or determination on."
Nicole Valdes is simply a analogous based successful Nashville. Valdes was astir precocious a upwind analogous with FOX Weather. Since joining FOX Weather successful 2021, Valdes covered breaking and processing weather-related quality for the streaming service. Valdes reported from astir 40 states, starring web sum of Hurricane Ian's interaction connected Florida, arsenic good arsenic countless tornadoes, flood, and wildfires. As a arrogant bilingual journalist, Valdes enactment her skills guardant to nutrient and study an in-depth portion connected Hurricane Maria's interaction to Puerto Rico. Prior to this role, Valdes worked arsenic a newsman and fill-in anchor successful Phoenix, Arizona, wherever she led the station's sum of the 2020 Presidential election. She was besides a multimedia writer for the CBS-affiliate successful Fort Myers, Florida. Valdes graduated from the University of Florida successful Gainesville.
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