16
Mar
Mar
DEADLY TORNADOES AND WILDFIRES WREAK HAVOC ACROSS US, LEAVING AT LEAST 32 DEAD
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CapitalTimesNews / 9 months
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- 2 min read
A massive storm system brought widespread destruction and loss of life to parts of the US, with violent tornadoes ripping through several states and wildfires burning out of control. The death toll has risen to at least 32, with more severe weather expected. In Missouri, scattered twisters overnight killed at least 12 people, authorities said. Coroner Jim Akers of Butler County described the scene of one of the tornadoes, saying, “It was unrecognizable as a home. Just a debris field… The floor was upside down. We were walking on walls.” Dakota Henderson, who helped rescue people trapped in their homes, said, “It was a very rough deal last night… It’s really disturbing for what happened to the people, the casualties last night.” In Mississippi, Gov. Tate Reeves announced that six people died in three counties and three more people were missing. There were 29 injuries across the state, he added. The National Weather Service issued blizzard warnings for parts of far western Minnesota and far eastern South Dakota, with snow accumulations of 3 to 6 inches expected. Winds gusting to 60 mph were expected to cause whiteout conditions. Evacuations were ordered in some Oklahoma communities as more than 130 fires were reported across the state, and nearly 300 homes were damaged or destroyed. Gov. Kevin Stitt said at a news conference that some 266 square miles burned in the state. Bailey Dillon, who witnessed a massive twister in Tylertown, Mississippi, said, “The amount of damage was catastrophic… It was a large amount of cabins, RVs, campers that were just flipped over — everything was destroyed.” The Storm Prediction Center said significant tornadoes continued to hit Saturday, with the region at highest risk stretching from eastern Louisiana and Mississippi through Alabama, western Georgia, and the Florida panhandle.