Note: This story has been updated to identify the deputy jailer who died and that the incarcerated people all survived the tornado and were accounted for.
A Mayfield, Kentucky, candle factory is expected to be the site of the largest loss of life from the tornado Friday evening.
None of the dead or injured have been identified yet, but at least a few of those inside on the overnight shift were hired through the Graves County Jail, where they were incarcerated.
[ UPDATE 12/11: All jail workers survived tornado]
The phone lines were down at the jail when a reporter called Saturday. The jail acknowledged on its Facebook page that some of their inmates were at the candle factory, and said one staff member had died. Jail officials in a Facebook post Sunday identified the deputy as Robert Daniel.
"He did his job honorably and professionally until the very end," the post said.
When the National Weather Service issued a tornado emergency warning in Mayfield just before 11:30 p.m CT, more than 100 people were working. Dozens died, and officials expect the death tolls to rise: As of Saturday around noon, Gov. Andy Beshear said a FEMA team was on the way to help with search and rescue efforts in Graves County.
The company, Mayfield Consumer Products, describes itself as a local, family-owned manufacturer of products including candles. They had not issued a statement by Saturday afternoon; the CEO couldn’t be reached for comment.
‘The roof lifted up and came back down’
Lathan Harpole, 18, was at the factory when the tornado hit. (Harpole is not associated with the jail program.) He told WFPL he was buried under rubble with several others when the roof collapsed. One person, who he believed to be the corrections officer, appeared to be deceased.
“He was stuck pretty bad, and I’m pretty sure he passed away,” Harpole told WFPL News by Facebook message.
Harpole told WFPL he was working on the line at the candle factory along with about 100 other people. Harpole, who had only been employed there a few weeks, said he makes minimum wage, plus an extra dollar an hour for working the night shift, which runs 5 p.m.-3:30 a.m.
He said around midnight, workers heard the tornado sirens and took shelter in the bathrooms.
About 10 to 20 minutes later, the tornado struck.
“I heard what sounded like rolling thunder, and I started running, and I looked back, the roof lifted up and came back down,” Harpole said. “I remember diving next to someone, and we were holding each other like we were brothers, and then that's when we started digging up.”
He emerged with a few others 10-15 minutes later, with only minor scrapes and bruises. One of his coworkers he was buried with had a badly broken leg.
“I remember screaming out, ‘Scream if you need help,’ and all you could hear was people screaming from every direction,” he said.
Harpole helped uncover two people, and turned to police to rescue a third woman, who he said was pinned very badly. He got a ride home from a “good Samaritan,” and said he plans to spend the afternoon walking through town to see how else he can help.
In an interview with the Today Show, another worker, Kyanna Parsons-Perez described the devastation and chaos after the storm swept through. She said the workers were taking shelter when the roof collapsed; the inmate workers were among those working to pull people from the rubble.
Jail arrangement
The Paducah Sun reported in July on a work agreement between the Graves County Jail and the candle factory. Jail officials told the newspaper that the individuals would receive some income but declined to say how much, and that some of the money they made would be returned to the jail.
On Sunday, Graves County Jailer George Workman said those who had been held at the county jail were now split between two nearby jails.
Workman said the work program at the candle factory had just started last week. The program was approved by the Kentucky Department of Corrections as a way to help reduce recidivism, Workman said.
“It helps (incarcerated people) to build up some money, if they play it right, whenever they get out so they can have their fines paid off and also have a good start on some savings to where they can get started on the outside,” Workman said. A portion of the earned wages goes towards fines and jail fees and the rest goes into individual’s canteen accounts at the jail, Workman said. “They haven’t really had a chance to get started.”
People in a Calloway County Jail work release program also worked at the factory, according to published media reports, but there was no indication from county officials that they were working Friday evening. The jail’s phone line was down Saturday.
The Graves County Jail was evacuated before the storm, according to a post Saturday on the jail’s Facebook page. A person commented on the post, saying they were worried about a family member at the jail.
The jail responded: “Unless he worked at the candle factory, you can rest assured that he is okay.”
This story has been updated to identify the jail guard who died and that the incarcerated people all survived the tornado and were accounted for.
Jared Bennett contributed to this report.
