Missouri Tornado Updates
Authorities reported “many” fatalities and injuries from a tornado that hit southeastern Missouri early on Wednesday. The storm also sparked a frantic hunt for survivors among the debris.
Late on Tuesday and early on Wednesday, tornadoes were reported in a few locations in Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri. Severe storms also caused brief ground stops at Chicago and Detroit’s two biggest airports.
The Missouri Highway Patrol tweeted that it was assisting local search and rescue organizations in Bollinger County, roughly 100 miles south of St. Louis, near the community of Glenallen.
“The damage is quite serious. The Missouri Highway Patrol’s Sgt. Clark Parrott described it as “just heartbreaking to see.” To get to residences, he added, crews are using chainsaws to clear brush and trees.
According to Justin Gibbs of the Weather Service, a tornado first seemed to be on the ground for 15 minutes and had traveled 15 to 20 miles. Later on Wednesday, he said, the weather service will send a survey team to the area to evaluate the damage and measure the tornado’s intensity.
On Wednesday, severe storms could also bring violent tornadoes and huge hail to regions of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee, and Arkansas. The storms posed a threat to a number of sizable cities, including Chicago, Indianapolis, Detroit, and Memphis, Tennessee.
On Wednesday, there were various tornado, severe thunderstorm, and wind watches and advisories for more than 45 million Americans.
Again Friday’s tornadoes and strong storms tore through the South and Midwest, the death toll reached 18 people on Saturday. Residents were left to pick up the pieces as more severe weather threatened.
According to poweroutage.us, the number of U.S. power outages increased to over 900,000 consumers on Saturday afternoon as bad weather moved into the Northeast and parts of the Midwest and South began to recover from Friday’s devastation. According to National Weather Service data, dozens of tornadoes were reported in Arkansas, Iowa, Tennessee, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Mississippi.
The National Weather Service reported that at one time on Friday, more than 28 million people were under a tornado watch, and it issued a rare “high risk” forecast for severe storms in several locations.
Severe thunderstorm watches Saturday
The National Weather Service predicted bad weather for the Ohio Valley, Northeast, and mid-Atlantic on Saturday as they prepared for strong winds and severe thunderstorms. According to AccuWeather, severe thunderstorm watches have been issued for areas of Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New York. Isolated hail, dispersed wind gusts up to 70 mph, as well as some tornadoes are likely in the area.
Damage, Casualty reported from many states:
Alabama: According to WAFF-TV, roads were closed as a result of the storm’s downed trees and electrical wires.
Indiana: A severe storm in Indiana’s Sullivan County destroyed entire neighborhoods and wrecked homes, and some people of Sullivan, the county seat, which is located about 95 miles southwest of Indianapolis, were reported missing. The emergency declaration was signed early on Saturday by the Sullivan County commissioners.
Mississippi: Authorities in Pontotoc County, Mississippi’s northernmost county, reported one fatality and four injuries. Authorities said that telephone lines were temporarily down on Saturday morning as they released photos of uprooted trees, blocked roads, and damaged residences. President Joe Biden visited storm-devastated Rolling Fork, Mississippi, on Friday. On March 24, a storm there claimed at least 21 lives.
Tennessee: In Marshall County, Tennessee, five freight railway cars derailed. Two individuals were rescued from a collapsed home in central Tennessee, where dozens of homes were demolished or damaged, according to authorities.
Oklahoma: Oklahoma City was also blasted by wind gusts of up to 54 mph, which caused the blazes of multiple fires and triggered widespread evacuations.
Adamsville Police Department said it was helping with cleanup.
“The damage and loss that our community suffered last night was catastrophic,” the police department said in a Facebook statement.
they added “We send our condolences to all of those who were impacted by this event, not just in our community, but across the entire region.”
Melissa Keller, who has resided in Lewis County, Tennessee, with her family for almost 50 years, fled to her bathroom to hide from the storm. She claimed that while her sister’s home was demolished, hers was still standing as of Saturday.
“I’ve never seen nothing like this,” Keller said.
