Severe Storms Claim at Least 17 Lives Across Several U.S. States – One America News Network
OAN Staff Abril Elfi
11:45 AM – Saturday, March 15, 2025
Destructive storms that struck Missouri, Texas, and Arkansas overnight have resulted in at least 17 fatalities.
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As of Saturday morning, Missouri reported the most deaths, totaling at least 11 fatalities.
Among those who lost their lives was a man who died when a tornado destroyed his home.
“It was unrecognizable as a home. Just a debris field,” said Coroner Jim Akers of Butler County, describing the scene that confronted rescuers when they arrived. “The floor was upside down. We were walking on walls.”
In Arkansas, as storms raged through overnight, officials reported 29 individuals injured across eight counties, with three fatalities in Independence County.
“We have teams out surveying the damage from last night’s tornadoes and have first responders on the ground to assist,” said Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R-Ark.) on X. “In the meantime, I just released $250,000 from our Disaster Recovery fund to provide resources for this operation for each of the impacted communities.”
Moreover, over 238,792 residents are currently without power across five states: Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Texas, and Arkansas, according to Poweroutage.us.
With tornado watches active in eight states—including Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio—millions are remaining vigilant for severe weather conditions.
“A tornado outbreak appears imminent with the potential for multiple, intense to violent long-track tornadoes from mid-day through this evening,” warned the National Weather Service (NWS).
As the severe weather event unfolds into Saturday, 23 tornadoes have been reported overnight across four states: Missouri, Arkansas, Illinois, and Mississippi, with damage ranging from Missouri to Wisconsin caused by winds exceeding 80 mph.
The Storm Prediction Center indicates that several large tornadoes, potentially strong and long-tracked, are likely, with Birmingham, Tuscaloosa, Jackson, and Hattiesburg highlighted as high-risk areas.
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp (R-Ga.) has also declared a state of emergency.
On Saturday, the most significant tornado threat is anticipated to begin in Louisiana and Mississippi from late morning to early afternoon, progressing into Alabama during the late afternoon and evening, and further into the western Florida panhandle and western Georgia until late Saturday night.
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