Tornadoes and High Winds Claim at Least 36 Lives Across the US | US News
At least 36 lives have been claimed as tornadoes and severe winds swept through parts of the United States.
The massive storm, which also triggered dust storms and icy weather, demolished homes, obliterated schools, and overturned trucks across central and southern regions of the country.
Cody Snell, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, indicated that tornado watches remain in effect for portions of the Carolinas, eastern Georgia, and northern Florida.
So far, 36 fatalities have been reported across seven states, including Missouri, where a series of tornadoes resulted in the deaths of a dozen individuals, according to official reports.
Dakota Henderson, a resident of Missouri, stated that he and others discovered five bodies in the wreckage outside what remained of his aunt’s home on Friday night while attempting to rescue trapped neighbors.
“It was a very rough situation,” he remarked on Saturday. “It’s truly heartbreaking to see what happened to the people, the casualties from last night.”
Destruction from a severe storm in Missouri. Pic: AP
Residents search the wreckage in Alabama. Pic: AP
As of Saturday night, tornadoes persisted while the Storm Prediction Center alerted that areas stretching from eastern Louisiana and Mississippi through Alabama, western Georgia, and Florida were under the greatest threat.
Bailey Dillon, aged 24, and her fiancé, Caleb Barnes, observed from their front porch in Tylertown, Mississippi, as a massive tornado struck an area approximately half a mile away near an RV park, prompting them to drive over to assist.
They recorded images of uprooted trees, flattened buildings, and overturned vehicles, with Ms. Dillon describing the devastation as “catastrophic”.
“Everything was destroyed,” she stated.
“Homes and everything were annihilated in the vicinity,” she added. “Schools and buildings are entirely erased.”
The severe storm, which was assigned a rare “high risk” label by meteorologists, has been associated with lethal dust storms, icy conditions, and intense thunderstorms on Sunday.
State of Emergency
The governor of Mississippi, Tate Reeves, confirmed that six individuals have died and several more are unaccounted for as storms advanced further east into Alabama, where three fatalities, including that of an 82-year-old woman, have been reported.
In Arkansas, where three deaths have been verified, Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders has declared a state of emergency.
Lorries have been overturned. Pic: AP
Damage caused by wildfires in Oklahoma. Pic: KOCO/AP
Georgia has also declared an emergency, with a National Weather Service tornado watch issued early on Sunday, warning of isolated tornadoes, hail, and gusts reaching up to 70 mph.
Dust Storms and Wildfires
High winds responsible for dust storms have been linked to 11 deaths on Friday, including eight fatalities from a crash involving roughly 50 vehicles in Kansas and three others in Texas due to separate vehicle collisions.
The severe weather forecasted is expected to affect more than 100 million people, with winds likely to create blizzard conditions in the colder northern regions and heightening the risk of wildfires in the dry southern areas.
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Evacuations have been mandated in some regions of Oklahoma, with more than 130 fires reported statewide, resulting in nearly 300 homes being damaged or destroyed.
Governor Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma mentioned that about 266 square miles have burned, including a personal loss of a home on his ranch northeast of Oklahoma City.
