Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear Updates on Tornado Devastation: At Least 64 Dead, 105 Missing, Casualties Likely to Rise

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear (D) held a press conference on Monday as he provided an update on the aftermath of the storm that devastated his state.

Kentucky was hit hardest by the flurry of tornadoes that wound up sweeping through the Midwest over the weekend. Speaking in Frankfort, Beshear called it the “worst tornado event in the history our commonwealth” as he started by outlining the incalculable levels of property damage.

“It may be weeks before we have final counts on both deaths and levels of destruction,” Beshear said. “As of this morning, our best count for confirmed deaths, the most accurate count we have as of this morning, are 64 Kentuckians. Remember, this is fluid, and the numbers will change.”

Beshear went on by saying the death toll will “undoubtedly” go up, but “it may be a week or even more before we have a final count on the number of lost lives.” He went on to say at least 105 Kentuckians remain “unaccounted for,” 300 members of the National Guard are assisting the state with rescue efforts, and that he is working with multiple agencies to facilitate clean-up and recovery.

To recap, we declared state of emergency roughly before midnight, before the storm really hit. We received immediate federal emergency declaration I believe on Sunday, which is the fastest we’ve ever seen. And last night, we received a federal declaration of major emergency, I think the fastest that has ever be issued. And we are really grateful from FEMA…It is really good news for our families, it means that FEMA will be on the ground, documenting losses at people’s homes, helping them go ahead and file their claims. Again, I believe that this is the most rapid response by the federal government in the history of the United States, and we need it, and we are grateful for it.

Watch above, via CNN.