Tornadoes sweep southern US, claiming 14 lives
Over the holiday weekend, a series of tornado-spawning thunderstorms swept across the Southern Plains and Ozarks in the United States. These storms resulted in at least 14 deaths and caused extensive damage to hundreds of buildings. The severe weather system affected regions from Texas to Michigan, with the small town of Valley View in Cooke County, Texas being hit hardest by a tornado with top winds reaching 217km/h.
Epicenter of destruction
The tornado struck Valley View on Saturday night, resulting in at least seven fatalities and nearly 100 injuries. Among the victims were two children aged 2 and 5 from the same family, Governor Greg Abbot said in a press conference the next day. He also reported that more than 200 homes and other structures were destroyed, with another 120 buildings damaged in a zone that stretched over 80km.
Tornado forces motorists to seek shelter
The tornado forced dozens of motorists to abandon their vehicles on a highway and seek shelter at a nearby truck stop. Approximately 125 people took cover inside the gasoline station as the tornado tore through the facility. Despite the destruction, all those who sought shelter there survived. However, it took rescue teams about an hour to free those trapped in the wreckage.
Search and rescue operations reveal full extent of damage
As search-and-rescue operations continued into Sunday, officials began to grasp the full extent of the disaster. Abbott stated that authorities would make one final sweep of damaged buildings for possible additional victims but reported no further missing persons by day's end. Cooke County Sheriff Ray Sappington noted that many trailer homes in the area were "completely gone" after the storm.
Widespread devastation and power outages
Footage from after the disaster showed widespread devastation, with homes and other buildings reduced to rubble, vehicles smashed, and trees uprooted or stripped of their foliage. A tornado also crossed into Denton County, northwest of Dallas, on Saturday night causing further damage to homes and property and knocking down power lines. The severe weather left more than 450,000 utility customers without electricity across a 10-state region stretching from Texas to Michigan.
Storm-related fatalities and damage in Arkansas and Oklahoma
In Arkansas alone, at least three storm-related fatalities were reported late Saturday including a 73-year-old woman in Baxter County. Oklahoma also experienced widespread damage with at least two deaths reported on Saturday night. As storms shifted northeast on Sunday, extreme weather continued across the US heartland resulting in a landscaper being killed by a toppled tree in Louisville, Kentucky.
Further storm warnings and heat alerts issued
The National Weather Service has warned of additional storms moving through Ohio and Tennessee valleys bringing damaging winds and more tornadoes along with heavy downpours capable of triggering flash floods. As residents grapple with recovery efforts from these storms, excessive heat warnings have been posted across southern Texas and along the Gulf Coast into most of Louisiana. This latest bout of extreme weather follows closely behind another powerful tornado that ripped through rural Iowa last week killing four people.
