A massive storm system ravaged the Midwest and South as a series of thunderstorms and tornadoes battered homes across eight states, leaving at least 25 people dead.
Summary
A massive storm system ravaged the Midwest and South as a series of thunderstorms and tornadoes battered homes across eight states, leaving at least 25 people dead.
- Dozens of tornadoes struck big cities and small towns, cut a swath through Little Rock, Arkansas and caused a roof collapse at an Illinois concert venue.
- Deaths have been reported across the central United States, including in Illinois, Indiana, Arkansas, Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee.
- Thunderstorms continue to move towards the eastern seaboard and the National Weather Service warned the high winds and severe storms could likely lead to power outages, downed trees, and other hazards.
- Several survivors across the devastated areas recounted their stories to the Associated Press. One Arkansas volunteer firefighter summed up the challenge facing first responders: “Once you address all the people you can see, then you’ve got to start looking for the people you can’t see.”.
- The New York Times covered the disaster at the Apollo Theater in Belvidere, Illinois. Brutal winds caused the roof to collapse in the middle of a packed concert, killing one attendee and putting more than two dozen other concertgoers in the hospital.
- NBC News first reported the rise in deaths to 25, including four deaths in Wynn, Arkansas, which Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said suffered substantial damage. Nine deaths were reported in McNairy County, Tennessee and at least one victim was killed by storms in Sussex County, Delaware.
- According to CNN, the four deaths reported in Illinois so far were all due to structural collapses. Three were killed in Indiana in a storm that damaged homes and a volunteer fire department southwest of Indianapolis, while another person was killed in Madison County, Alabama.
- The Wall Street Journal reported at least 69 tornadoes touched down that were “fueled by a series of so-called supercells, the rotating thunderstorms that can spawn tornadoes.” Nearly 90 million Americans remain under a wind advisory as of Saturday evening, according to the National Weather Service.
- The New York Post covered the story of Kentucky reporter Nick Sortor, who barely escaped the storm after a tornado blew his Jeep off of a Tennessee road. Sortor was left bloody with a totaled vehicle but was able to escape with his life.
- Fox News reported the Northeast states could be next to encounter the massive storms. A possible tornado was spotted near Bidgeville, Delaware, as storms lashed cities in Pennsylvania, New York and across the Northeast.
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© Dominic Moore, 2023
