FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said Sunday that extreme weather events — like the tornadoes that touched down in Midwest and Southern states Friday — are "going to be our new normal, and the effects that we're seeing from climate change are the crisis of our generation."
What she's saying: It is "incredibly unusual" to see such powerful tornadoes this late in the year, Criswell told Jake Tapper on CNN's "State of the Union."
Companies large and small, some with longtime roots in their neighborhoods, are on the hunt for new real estate that is less prone to weather and climate extremes.
Why it matters: The corporate migration underway indicates vulnerable communities may see an exodus of large employers in the coming decades as oceans encroach. Inland areas prone to flooding or wildfires mare see similar challenges.
More than two dozen tornadoes touched down in six Midwest and Southern states overnight Friday, leaving in their wake widespread destruction of property, rolling power outages and at least several dozen dead.
Driving the news: More than 70 people are believed to have been killed in Kentucky, and around two dozen others are estimated to have died in Arkansas, Illinois, Missouri, Mississippi and Tennessee.
The death toll may exceed 100 after tornadoes tore through western Kentucky on Friday, according to Gov. Andy Beshear, who called it "the worst, most devastating, most deadly tornado event" in the state's history.
The latest: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott approved a request from the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Saturday to deploy resources to help in the search and rescue efforts in western Kentucky, according to a statement from the governor's office.
More than 50 people are feared dead after a tornado ripped through western Kentucky overnight and left damage across multiple states.
Driving the news: Dozens are expected to have died in Mayfield, Kentucky, per WLKY. At least 110 people were in a candle manufacturing factory there when the tornado struck.
