Friday’s enormous storm that swept across the South and Midwest left at least 14 people dead in five states and more than two dozen injured in the Little Rock, Arkansas region.
Tornadoes caused the destruction of homes and the collapse of the roof of an Illinois theater during a heavy metal concert.
FOX Weather confirmed three linked deaths in Sullivan County, with some residents still missing.
There were also seven fatalities in McNairy County, Tennessee.
Frank Scott, Jr., mayor of Little Rock, stated that at least 24 people were injured as a result of the storms and that the property damage is “substantial.”
Friday, Pulaski County officials confirmed a death in North Little Rock but did not immediately release specifics.
In the afternoon, the National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for portions of the metropolitan region, indicating that a “damaging tornado” had through it.
Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the governor of Arkansas, activated 100 troops of the National Guard to assist local authorities throughout the state.
Alexa Henning, Sanders’s director of communications, stated that the governor of Arkansas declared a state of emergency in response to the tornadoes and extreme weather.
Henning tweeted: “The Governor will spare no resource to aid in recovery efforts for Arkansans.”
“I’m in continual contact with the Arkansas State Police and @AR Emergencies, who are collaborating with local law enforcement to assist anyone who has been harmed. Praying for everyone who was and continues to be in the line of this storm. As storms continue to come into Arkansas, residents must continue to monitor the weather “Sanders tweeted.
In the state’s northeastern region, the town of Wynne was also destroyed, and officials there reported four fatalities and individuals trapped under the rubble.
At Belvidere, Illinois, a tornado reportedly caused the collapse of the Apollo Theatre’s roof, resulting in one death and 28 injuries. The original assessment by the Belvidere Police Department indicated that a tornado caused the damage. According to Shawn Schadle, chief of the Belvidere Fire Department, 260 individuals were in attendance.
According to FOX Weather, a tornado in Alabama’s Madison County also claimed a life. According to WAFF-TV, the tornado severely injured three additional persons.
Moreover, FOX Weather reported one storm-related fatality in Pontotoc County, Mississippi. The number of confirmed tornadoes increased in Iowa, while grass fires began in Oklahoma’s windy terrain.
Saturday morning, tens of thousands of Midwest consumers were without power. More than 680,000 were without power in Indiana, almost 52,000 in Arkansas, and more than 34,000 in Illinois, according to PowerOutage.US.
