Severe Storms Batter US Midwest, Leaving Deaths, Flooding and Hundreds of Thousands Without Power

A powerful stretch of severe weather has battered the US Midwest, unleashing tornadoes, damaging winds, torrential rain and flash flooding across several states and leaving hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses without electricity.

The storms have caused deaths, widespread property damage and numerous water rescues, with authorities warning that the threat of severe weather and flooding remains in parts of the region.

Indiana has been among the worst-affected states. As of Thursday, about 540,000 homes and businesses across the Midwest were without power, according to PowerOutage.us data cited by the Guardian. More than 267,000 outages were reported in Indiana alone.

In Jennings County, Indiana, a four-year-old boy was killed after a tree fell on his family’s home during Tuesday’s storms.

Another person died in Roseville, Ohio, after emergency responders were reportedly unable to reach them during a medical emergency because flooding had made roads impassable.

Authorities in Portage, Indiana, were also investigating whether severe weather played a role in a house explosion that killed another person.

The National Weather Service confirmed three tornadoes in counties south of Chicago, while severe weather caused damage stretching from the Chicago area to western Pennsylvania.

Flood warnings extended from northern Illinois into eastern Indiana, while flash-flood watches covered parts of Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia and Tennessee.

Ohio authorities reported numerous water rescues as rapidly rising floodwaters trapped residents and inundated roads and homes. Governor Mike DeWine deployed 40 Ohio Army National Guard members to assist with rescue operations in two counties east of Columbus.

The storms also brought down trees and power lines, damaged vehicles and buildings and disrupted transportation across affected communities.

In another weather-related incident, 16 people at a prison complex southwest of Cleveland were hospitalized after lightning struck the facility.

Four remained hospitalized on Wednesday, including one person reported to be in serious condition.

Utility companies have mobilised crews to restore electricity, but officials warned that some communities could remain without power for several days because of extensive damage to poles, power lines and trees.

Duke Energy said it was bringing in about 1,000 additional workers to help restore service to more than 171,000 customers across the greater Cincinnati area.

Meanwhile, authorities and emergency crews continued clearing roads, rescuing people from floodwaters and assessing damage across the region.

Forecasters said the severe-weather threat was not yet over, with additional thunderstorms and heavy rainfall possible across parts of the Plains, Midwest, Ohio Valley and central Appalachians in the following days.