The death toll from the powerful tornadoes that have hit the Midwest and southern United States rises to 18, with Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, and Tennessee as the most affected states.
In Illinois, tornadoes collapsed the roof of a packed theater during a heavy metal concert, killing one person and injuring regarding thirty, and left small towns and large cities baffled by the enormous damage on Saturday.
Three people have died in Sullivan County, Indiana.
Arkansas, with at least six dead, four of them in the small town of Wynne, is in a state of emergency following a tornado struck the city of Little Rock, where it left one person dead, on Friday. The tornado tore apart homes, flipped over vehicles and hurled trees and debris onto roads as people ran for cover. By night, Pulaski County officials already confirmed a death in North Little Rock.
Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a tweet that police and emergency services were working to “help any injured person” and asked residents to stay tuned as the National Weather Service forecast more storms.
“Significant damage has occurred in central Arkansas”Sanders wrote.
The Little Rock tornado first tore through the western neighborhoods of the city, destroying a small shopping center. It then crossed the Arkansas River into North Little Rock and surrounding cities, where there was widespread damage to homes, businesses, and vehicles.
A state of emergency has also been declared in Missouri, which means the state is putting all its available resources to work on the search.
In northern Alabama, a suspected tornado killed a woman in Madison County and destroyed several buildings.
Dozens of injured
The Little Rock mayor reported at least 24 people hospitalized. A few hours later, a death was confirmed.
in search of refuge
Little Rock resident Niki Scott says she took refuge in the bathroom following her husband called to say a tornado was headed her way. She might hear the glass breaking as the tornado passed. When she got out of it, she discovered that her house was one of the few on her street that didn’t have a tree fallen on it.
The Little Rock Fire Department reported extensive damage in west Little Rock and said they had conducted rescue operations in the area.
Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr. announced that he was requesting help from the National Guard.
“Please stay off roads and affected areas to allow emergency services to work.”Scott tweeted.
At Clinton National Airport, passengers and workers took temporary shelter in restrooms.
power outages
Nearly 90,000 customers in Arkansas were without power, according to poweroutage.us, which tracks outages. In Illinois there were more than 100,000.
Some 32,000 people were without power in neighboring Oklahoma, where wind gusts of up to 60 mph fanned fires. People were urged to evacuate homes in far northeast Oklahoma City, and the military shut down parts of Interstate 35 near the Edmond neighborhood.
There were also blackouts in Kansas, Missouri and Texas.
more bad weather
The weather service is forecasting another round of intense storms next Tuesday in the same area as last week. Violent tornadoes killed 25 people in Mississippi and one in Alabama.
This dangerous forecast is the result of strong southerly winds carrying large amounts of moisture from the northern Gulf of Mexico, where they will interact with the strengthening storm system.
