José Andrés to travel to Kentucky following devastating tornadoes

Celebrity chef José Andrés said on Saturday evening that he would be traveling to Kentucky to assist those in need after the state was devastated by tornadoes Friday night into Saturday morning.

In a video message posted on Twitter, Andrés said he would be partnering with local chefs and food trucks in the area “to make sure that we show solidarity with the many people” who would be going through a hard time due to the disaster in addition to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

“I always said that wherever there is a fight so hungry people and people in need, may eat that we will be there. [There’s] not much to say in those moments because you feel so powerless. That’s why we all need to be ready,” he said as he walked through the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington, D.C.

“We all need to be kinder to each other. We’ll need to respect each other because it’s already a very difficult world sometimes to add more issues, on top of everything that sometimes … are totally unnecessary,” he continued.

The celebrity chef said his nonprofit organization World Central Kitchen had helped provide between four hundred and five hundred meals already. 

“Very strategically, we’re gonna be partnering obviously, locally there with many chefs, restaurants, food trucks for this operation. We have some of the food trucks already on their way there. They should be arriving in the early hours of Sunday,”  Andrés reported.

People of America…tragic day for so many families. I am at DCA airport flying to meet @WCKitchen team in Kentucky responding to the tornadoes. We are working with chefs…food trucks & have WCK teams now in many communities… Will update from the ground soon. #ChefsForKentucky pic.twitter.com/jX04Bbqakw

— José Andrés (@chefjoseandres) December 12, 2021

Between Friday night and early Saturday morning, severe storms and tornadoes swept through multiple states in the South and Midwest, with President Biden telling reporters on Saturday that it was “likely to be one of the largest tornado outbreaks in our history.” 

In Kentucky alone, at least 70 people died as a result of the severe weather conditions and tens of thousands were left without power. Other states hit included Illinois, Tennessee, Missouri and Arkansas. 

“This has been one of the toughest nights in Kentucky history,” Gov. Andy Beshear (D) said during a news conference. “Some areas have been hit in ways that are hard to put into words.”

Biden said on Saturday that he would visit the region affected by the storms and tornadoes and that resources had already been deployed to the area, including emergency response personnel, search-and-rescue teams, water and other supplies.