The strong storms and tornadoes that hit the south and central-east of the United States left at least 22 dead and dozens injured, according to the last balance of the authorities released this Sunday (2).
The storm, which is now heading northeast, destroyed a multitude of homes and businesses.
The state of Tennessee, one of the hardest hit, recorded seven deaths from incidents related to these intense storms in McNairy County, east of Memphis, Maggie Hannan, regional spokeswoman for the disaster management agency, told AFP.
The deaths add to the 15 people who died in Arkansas, Mississippi and Alabama in the south and in Indiana and Illinois in the midwest.
Little Rock, the capital of Arkansas, was hit hard. Its residents woke up on Saturday (1st) to a bleak image of overturned cars, huge trees uprooted from the ground, broken phone lines and vandalized homes.
At least five people have died in that state, according to the governor, Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
“We know that many people have been displaced and are seeking shelter,” said Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr.
The northeastern town of Wynne is “cut in two by damage from east to west,” its mayor, Jennifer Hobbs, lamented on CNN.
Brazilian band escapes tornado
emergency state
Governor Huckabee declared a general state of emergency in Arkansas the day before and mobilized the National Guard, after speaking with President Joe Biden.
Mississippi Risk Management Services also reported one death and several injuries in Pontotoc County, south of Memphis.
And an elderly man died in Alabama when a tornado hit his home, Huntsville officials said.
This Saturday, the system approached the east coast of the United States with thunderstorms, hail and strong winds that are expected to continue on Sunday.
In the state of Illinois (central-eastern United States), strong storms also left serious damage.
Brazilian band escapes tornado
This Saturday morning, disaster hit the city of Belvidere, when a powerful tornado caused the roof and part of the façade of Teatro Apolo to collapse, in the midst of a concert by a heavy metal band.
The Brazilian death metal band Crypta, which was performing there, escaped with their lives.
Belvidere Fire Chief Shawn Schadle confirmed one person dead and 28 injured in the disaster, five with serious injuries.
Television footage showed the evacuation of injured spectators on a stretcher, while pictures posted on social media showed the magnitude of the damage at the site.
In Crawford County, three people died as a home collapsed, Illinois Emergency Management Agency spokesman Kevin Sur said.
In the neighboring state of Indiana, three people were confirmed dead after a storm hit Sullivan County, officials said, quoted by local media.
And in Delaware, one person died due to the collapse of “a structure” in Sussex County, according to officials.
650,000 homes without electricity
More than 650,000 homes were still without power Saturday in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Kentucky and West Virginia, according to the Poweroutage.us website.
The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a tornado and severe storm warning in the northeast of the country, particularly in Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York state, with gusts of up to 95 km / h.
Tornadoes, a weather phenomenon as impressive as it is difficult to predict, are common across the United States, especially in the central and southern regions.
A week ago, a tornado hit Mississippi, killing 25 people and causing extensive property damage. President Joe Biden visited the site on Friday (31).
As of December 2021, an estimated 80 people have been killed by tornadoes in Kentucky.