Over the weekend, a flurry of tornadoes and dust storms ripped over the southern United States, leaving behind devastated neighborhoods and at least 39 fatalities. The storm system, which has also produced flooding and huge hail, entered its third day on Sunday.
The damage seems to have started at approximately 3:22 p.m. on Friday when a dust storm linked to the storm system resulted in numerous vehicle wrecks and zero visibility along I-70 in Sherman County, Kansas.
At least eight individuals were killed in the collision, which involved more than 50 cars, according to the Kansas Highway Patrol. Numerous additional individuals were hurt and taken to hospitals throughout the area.
Related dust storms also fueled wildfires that broke out in the Lone Star State and caused auto accidents in the Texas Panhandle on Friday that resulted in at least three fatalities. According to the Texas A&M Forest Service, it put out 13 wildfires that charred 27,717 acres throughout the state.
The highway patrol in Oklahoma said in a statement on Saturday that it reacted to 36 fires and 42 wrecks that caused injuries, including helping the Enid Police Department deal to a weather-related fatality.
Before a fresh series of cyclones made landfall on Saturday night and Sunday, the storm’s death toll was initially estimated to be around 13 persons killed in Missouri and Arkansas on Saturday afternoon. Three deaths have been verified in Arkansas, according to a statement from emergency management officials.
The most recent data from Missouri has been added to the storm system’s previously reported death toll, which did not include the deaths from the related dust storms and strong winds in other states.
“As of this time, there have been 12 confirmed weather-related fatalities,” the Missouri State Emergency Management Agency updated its death toll on social media late Saturday. “SEMA continues to coordinate with state and local response agencies and our volunteer partners to assist those in need.”
In a statement released late Saturday, Governor Mike Kehoe said he had traveled to the state’s most affected areas and described the destruction as “heartbreaking.”
In a statement released Saturday evening, Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves stated that his state has recorded six fatalities, including three in Walthall County, two in Jeff Davis County, and one in Covington County. 29 individuals have been hurt statewide, and three more persons are still unaccounted for.
According to Reeves, the storm system caused damage in 21 of the 82 counties in the state, and up to 30,000 people lost power at first.
Now, the storm system has passed over Alabama and is still wreaking havoc in Georgia.
In a statement released early Sunday morning, the National Weather Service office in Birmingham stated, “You gotta practice what you preach, and we just that earlier this evening.”
“Our staff took shelter when a tornado-warned storm was approaching our office. (Our break room is our safe room.) We also took that time to check on coworkers who were in the tornado’s path.”
At least three individuals were killed in Alabama, according to Governor Kay Ivey, one in Plantersville and one in Winterboro. The state also sustained damage in 52 of its 67 counties.
Approximately 60,000 consumers were still without power in Missouri, 17,191 in Alabama, and 27,507 in Georgia, among other states impacted, according to Poweroutage.us.
In a statement released on Sunday night, Trump claimed that the National Guard had been sent to Arkansas and that they were “actively monitoring” the storm activity.
