50 tornadoes hit the United States, Amazon warehouse collapsed

Tornadoes are rare in the United States in December.

Last weekend, eight states in the central United States were hit by at least 50 tornadoes overnight . So far, the tornado disaster has caused more than 100 deaths, with Kentucky being the worst hit. The severe weather caused more than 330,000 households to lose power.

At the same time, a large Amazon warehouse was also severely damaged, with most of the walls and roof collapsed , the scene was in a mess, and several people died. Seeing this, many sellers expressed concerns about the safety of their goods.

Extreme tornado hits the United States, leaving devastated scene

Although the United States is known as the "home of tornadoes," tornadoes usually occur in May, and December and January are the safest months. However, just last weekend, dozens of tornadoes broke out in the United States.

Starting in the evening of December 10, Central Time , a series of tornadoes hit eight states , including Arkansas, Mississippi, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee and Missouri . Many buildings were reduced to ruins, more than 100 people were killed , and more than 330,000 homes and factories lost power. It is estimated that the population ultimately affected will exceed 25 million.

At least 50 tornadoes were reported in eight states, according to the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center .

The scale of this tornado disaster is large (more than 50 times), the span is wide (sweeping 8 states), and the death toll is high (currently more than 100 people). Climate experts analyze that it can enter the top ten tornadoes in the United States since records began. Some data even show that it has surpassed the king of tornadoes in the United States before World War II - the "Three-State Tornado" in 1925.

Among the eight states hit, Kentucky suffered the most serious damage. From some pictures, we can see that the places where the tornado passed were full of broken buildings and devastation.

There is a candle factory in Kentucky. At the time of the incident , 110 workers were working inside. The moment the tornado arrived , the factory was turned into pieces on the spot. 79 people have been confirmed dead so far , and the final death toll is likely to exceed 100.

"My ears started to stand up," survivor Kyanna Parsons-Perez recalled. "It was like the building, we were all just shaking back and forth, and then boom, everything fell on us."

" The level of destruction is like nothing I've ever seen , " the state's governor said. " This was one of the toughest nights in Kentucky history. "

Currently, Kentucky has declared a state of emergency.

Biden told reporters Saturday that he was monitoring the situation closely and had called governors of affected states.

"I want to emphasize what I've said to all the governors, the federal government will do everything it can to help," he said , adding he would deploy the National Guard to states where that was deemed necessary.

Biden also told reporters that he plans to travel to the area to survey the damage caused by the storm when conditions permit .

The White House later said Biden had approved a federal emergency declaration for Kentucky.

Tornado causes collapse of Amazon warehouse

Amazon was also hit by the tornado, with an Amazon warehouse in Edwardsville, Illinois , becoming the eye of the storm.

Affected by the tornado, the warehouse collapsed on a large scale. A wall the length of a football field and the roof of the warehouse collapsed, leaving a pile of ruins. At the same time, the 100 trucks that were originally parked outside the warehouse were all destroyed.

Emergency responders called the collapse of the Amazon warehouse a "mass casualty incident." It is reported that there were as many as 50 to 100 employees in the warehouse, and dozens of workers were trapped.

The latest report from CNN shows that the warehouse collapse has killed at least 6 people. Fire Chief James Whiteford said that the recovery phase is expected to take another three days , and emergency personnel will continue to search for signs of life at the scene.

According to Enki Research, a disaster modeling research organization , the losses could reach hundreds of millions of dollars or even $1 billion.

Amazon spokesman Richard Rocha called it a "devastating tragedy" and said the company "offers our thoughts, prayers and deepest sympathies to the victims, their loved ones and everyone affected."

Amazon founder Bezos also tweeted at 10:00 Beijing time on the 12th , saying that he was "heartbroken" about the news.

"The news out of Edwardsville is tragic. We are heartbroken for the team members we lost there, and our thoughts and prayers are with their families and loved ones," Bezos wrote.

He added: "All of the people of Edwardsville should know that the Amazon team has their backs and will be with them through this crisis. We extend our deepest gratitude to all of the first responders who are working tirelessly on the scene."

However, despite a tornado forecast, Amazon still asked its employees to work late at night, which eventually led to a tragedy and earned them severe criticism on Twitter.

While being shocked by the damage caused by the tornado, sellers are also worried about their goods . " Which warehouse is it? What if my goods are affected? " one seller asked anxiously.

Another seller said: “ What I care about most is the Amazon 4-letter code. If my excess inventory is all in this warehouse, then compensation would be fine . ”

Amid sellers’ concerns and constant speculation, someone claimed that he had received a “Logistics Compensation Notification” email from Amazon .

"The Amazon warehouse was hit by a tornado. I just saw the email and then the news. Yes, it was STL6 , " the seller said.

In the email, Amazon made it clear that in view of the recent activities of the seller's sales account, Amazon has initiated compensation and /or rescission compensation operations.

If the seller has redundant products waiting to be cleared in this warehouse, there will be no loss, but if the products are on sale or hot-selling, the seller may face the risk of being out of stock. Especially with less than two weeks to Christmas, if the seller's Christmas products are stored in this warehouse, the subsequent sales will be in danger.

In conclusion: The Joplin tornado on May 22, 2011, is known as the most expensive tornado in world history, causing more than $3 billion in damages in just 32 minutes, but this record is likely to be broken by the tornado that occurred in the central United States on the night of December 10, 2021.

The impact is huge. In addition to direct economic losses, it is also likely to have a certain degree of impact on the recovering US consumption. The US is the main market for many sellers, and the suppressed consumption is undoubtedly a wake-up call for sellers. In the short term, Christmas is approaching, and the consumption power is not high at this time, and sales are affected, so the seller's performance for the whole year will be discounted. In the long run, it will also be unfavorable for the seller's sales next year.

Tornadoes in the United States

Amazon warehouse collapse