Eyewitness to deadly Kentucky tornado discusses state of community: 'We lost our history'

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Eyewitness to tragic Kentucky storms as death toll climbs: 'We lost our history'

Eyewitness to deadly Kentucky storms, Ryan Mitchum, joined 'America's Newsroom' to discuss cleanup efforts following the tragic weekend, saying 'families lost everything they ever had.'

Eyewitness to the tragic Kentucky storms, Ryan Mitchum, explained how his community lost its history after four tornadoes plowed through the state, and several others, over the weekend. 

Mitchum joined "America's Newsroom" on Monday to discuss the cleanup effort as the death toll continues to climb and members of the community remain missing. 

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"It's just going to be a long process, it's going to continue to go on after the news crews leave," Mitchum told co-hosts Bill Hemmer and Dana Perino. "We lost our history. Families lost everything that they've ever had and, we just don't really know where to start."

Mitchum mentioned his friend's grandmother, who had lost her home in the tragic storms, also lost everything years ago in a house fire. 

"As a kid, I remember her house burning down, so this is the second time she's lost everything," Mitchum stated. "Fortunately, she made it out alive, and she's doing good. We got to sit down with her last night [and] enjoy her company."

Emergency workers search through what is left of the Mayfield Consumer Products Candle Factory after it was destroyed by a tornado in Mayfield, Kentucky, on December 11, 2021. - Tornadoes ripped through five US states overnight, leaving more than 70 people dead Saturday in Kentucky and causing multiple fatalities at an Amazon warehouse in Illinois that suffered "catastrophic damage" with around 100 people trapped inside. The western Kentucky town of Mayfield was "ground zero" of the storm -- a scene of "massive devastation," one official said. (Photo by John Amis / AFP) (Photo by JOHN AMIS/AFP via Getty Images) ((Photo by JOHN AMIS/AFP via Getty Images))

"There's a lot of families here that won't get to see loved ones, and this is just so sad," he continued. 

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear announced on Monday over 60 people have been confirmed dead and projected that number could climb to as many as 80 fatalities. 

There are still 105 people who are missing, according to Beshear. 

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"I really think we're going to rebuild from this," Mitchum stated. "It's going to be hard. Our town's strong and what it looks like now, hopefully sooner than later, we're going to have it back and going strong. I know everybody in this community would help anybody else if the roles were reversed."

Storms pummeled through four other states Friday night and left another 14 people dead, with Kentucky being the hardest hit. 

"Just keep sending your prayers and whatever you have to spare," Mitchum asked. 

He continued, "We want to stay on top of this and get our town back."