US tornadoes: The death toll rises as severe cyclones wreak havoc across several states
In the South and Midwest of the United States, a string of tornadoes tore through villages and cities, killing at least 26 people.
Storms devastated several states, leaving thousands without electricity and destroying homes.
More than 60 tornado complaints were reportedly made, according to the Washington Post.
The weather has caused deaths in a number of states, including Arkansas, Tennessee, Illinois, Indiana, Alabama, and Mississippi.
Wynne, Arkansas, a community located about 100 miles (170 km) east of Little Rock, the state capitol, was decimated by one storm.
In a tiny bathroom as a tornado passed, Ashley Macmillan claimed she, her husband, their kids, and their dogs were “praying and saying goodbye to each other, because we thought we were dead.”
They weren’t injured, but a falling tree severely damaged their house.
We could feel the building trembling, and we could hear loud noises and dishes rattling, she told the AP news agency. Then everything just became quiet.
Wynne High School instructor Lisa Worden emphasized the importance of the choice to send students home early.
We were able to leave at 1:30, which was a God-send from our superintendent because otherwise, the students would still be in the classrooms and the instructors would have been on the buses. That would have added even more, so.
President Joe Biden reportedly promised government assistance after she spoke with him about the situation.
In Belvidere, Illinois, where a packed heavy metal concert was taking place, Friday’s storms also caused a theater roof to fall, resulting in one fatality and 28 injuries.
Thousands of people across several states are without electricity as storms make their way further east.
According to the US PowerOutage website, Virginia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania are the worst impacted states.
The Storm Prediction Center issued a bulletin with a warning that some of the anticipated tornadoes could travel over significant lengths on the ground.
The deadly tornadoes come a week after a rare, long-track twister killed 26 people in Mississippi.
The Mississippi tornado last week travelled 59 miles (94km) and lasted about an hour and 10 minutes – an unusually long period of time for a storm to sustain itself. It damaged about 2,000 homes, officials said.
President Biden visited the state on Friday to pay his condolences.