A monstrous storm system battered the South and Midwest on Friday, producing deadly tornadoes that tore through homes and shopping centers in Arkansas, and collapse A stage ceiling during a heavy metal concert in Illinois. In total, at least 21 weather-related deaths have been reported in six states, according to the latest numbers compiled by CBS News Saturday.
Seven people have been killed in McNairy County, Tennessee Mayor Larry W. Smith told CBS News Saturday. The mayor declared a state of emergency in McNairy County. Near Huntsville, Alabama, a 90-year-old woman died inside her home after it was destroyed by a tornado, Don Webster, an EMS spokesperson for Huntsville, told CBS News.
The town of Wayne in northeastern Arkansas was also destroyed. There were four dead people there, the town coroner told CBS News. Officials also said that people were trapped in the rubble of destroyed homes. Authorities said more than two dozen were injured, some seriously, in the Little Rock area. One weather-related death has been reported in North Little Rock, according to Madeline Roberts, a spokeswoman for the Pulaski County Emergency Management Agency.
Sullivan County, Indiana Director of Emergency Management Jim Birtle told CBS News that there have been three deaths there.
the authorities said The roof of a theater collapsed during a tornado in Belvedere, IllinoisThis killed a 50-year-old man and injured about 40 others, officials said in a news briefing on Saturday. The Belvedere Police Department said the collapse occurred when a severe storm swept through the area and calls began coming in from the theater of operations at 7:48 p.m. She said the initial assessment is that a hurricane caused the damage.
The crash occurred at the Apollo Theater during a heavy metal concert in the city, 70 miles northwest of Chicago.
Of the injured, two were seriously injured, two were seriously injured, 18 were minor injuries, and five were minor injuries, Belvedere Fire Chief Sean Shadel said Saturday.
Matt Marton/AP
Three people were killed when an apartment building collapsed in Crawford County, Alicia Tate Nadeau, director of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, confirmed to CBS News.
There was one weather-related death and four injuries in Pontotoc County on Friday, according to Mississippi Emergency Management Agency.
Damaging weather came with President Biden earlier Friday He toured in the aftermath of the hurricane that hit Mississippi a week ago, killing at least 21 people. Mr. Biden promised that the government would help the region recover.
As of Saturday evening, more than 235,000 customers in Ohio were without power, according to utility tracker PowerOutage.us. More than 275,000 were without power in Pennsylvania, and another 93,000 in Tennessee, along with 73,000 in West Virginia and 53,000 in Kentucky.
Meanwhile, the Little Rock tornado first tore through neighborhoods in the western part of town and tore out a small shopping center that housed a Kroger grocery store. It then crossed the Arkansas River into North Little Rock and surrounding towns, where widespread damage to homes, businesses, and vehicles was reported.
Andrew DeMelo/AP
Baptist Health Center-Little Rock officials told KATV Friday that 21 people had arrived there with injuries from the tornado, including five in critical condition.
City Mayor Frank Scott Jr., who announced he was asking the National Guard for help, tweeted Friday night that the property damage was extensive and “we’re still responding.”
Sarah Huckabee Sanders has activated 100 members of the Arkansas National Guard to help local authorities respond to damage across the state.
In Little Rock, resident Nikki Scott hid in the bathroom after her husband called to say a tornado was on its way. She could hear the sound of shattering glass as the tornado swept past and she then went out to find that her house was among the few on her street that hadn’t been hit by a tree.
“It’s just like everyone says. It got really quiet, and then it got really loud,” Scott said afterwards, as chainsaws blared loudly from sirens in the area.
At Clinton National Airport, passengers and staff were temporarily housed in bathrooms.
About 50 miles west of Memphis, Tennessee, the small town of Wayne, Arkansas, saw widespread hurricane damage, Sanders confirmed.
Ryan Foley/AP
City Council member Lisa Powell Carter told the Associated Press that Wayne was without power and the roads were strewn with debris.
“I’m in a panic trying to get home, but we can’t go home,” she said. “Wen was badly destroyed… destroyed houses, trees in the streets.”
Relentless tornadoes continued to spawn and land in the area into the night.
The Covington, Tennessee, police department said on Facebook that the West Tennessee city was made impassable after power lines and trees fell on roads when the storm passed Friday night. Authorities in Tipton County, north of Memphis, said a tornado appeared to hit near the middle school in Covington and at other locations in the rural county.
Tipton County Sheriff Shannon Paisley said on Facebook that homes and buildings were severely damaged.
Tornadoes moved across parts of eastern Iowa, with scattered damage.
One of the tornadoes veered west of Iowa City, home of the University of Iowa. Video from KCRG-TV showed collapsed power poles and roofs tearing apart an apartment building in the Coralville suburb and causing significant damage to homes in Hills City.
In neighboring Oklahoma, winds of up to 60 mph have fueled fast-moving grass fires. People have been urged to evacuate their homes in far northeast Oklahoma City, and troops have closed off parts of Interstate 35.
Andrew DeMelo/AP
In Illinois, hail broke windows of cars and buildings in the Roanoke area, northeast of Peoria, said Ben Wagner, chief radar operator for the Woodford County Emergency Management Agency. More than 109,000 customers had lost power in the state as of Friday night.
Firefighting teams battled several blazes near El Dorado, Kansas, and some residents were told to evacuate, including about 250 elementary school children who were transferred to a high school.
At Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, traffic management software was implemented causing planes to arrive an average of nearly two hours late, WFLD-TV reported.
The National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center has forecast unusually large thunderstorms with the potential to bring damaging hail, windstorms and powerful tornadoes that can travel long distances over land.
That’s intense Super thunderstorms “It is expected to become more common, especially in southern states, as temperatures rise around the world.
The Meteorological Service expects another wave of severe storms next Tuesday in the same general area as last week.
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