As a huge storm blasted over the central and southern U.S., violent tornadoes and strong winds destroyed houses, schools, and semitractor-trailers, killing at least 32 people.
On Friday night, outside his aunt’s house in devastated Wayne County, Missouri, Dakota Henderson, a citizen of Missouri, and others who rescued trapped neighbors discovered five dead dispersed among the rubble. At least twelve people were killed in the state by scattered twisters, according to police.
Shortly after claiming to have rescued his aunt via a window in the sole remaining room, Henderson stated on Saturday, “It was a very rough deal last night” near the destroyed house. “What happened last night to the people, the casualties, is really disturbing.”
The “unrecognizable home” where a man was slain was characterized as “just a debris field” by Butler County coroner Jim Akers, who lives in the area.
Speaking about the floor, he mentioned that it was inverted. “Walls seemed to be separating us.”
Storms continued to sweep east into Alabama, causing damage to houses and impassable roads; six people died in three counties, and three more were reported missing late Saturday, according to Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves. Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders has proclaimed a state of emergency after three deaths were confirmed by officials.
As the storm moved eastward, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp also issued a state of emergency proclamation. Earlier on Sunday, the social media pages of the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency reposted a tornado watch for portions of southeast Georgia issued by the National Weather Service.
The alert indicates the possibility of localized tornadoes, hail, and gusts of 50 to 70 mph (80 to 112 kph). Kemp responded by posting a letter in which he and his family expressed their prayers for “all those impacted by this storm system and those still in its path.”
Kemp said that the federal government will maintain its close cooperation with local and state authorities in order to respond to the storm’s destruction and determine what assistance is required.
On Friday, about a dozen people lost their lives due to dust storms caused by the system’s early strong winds. The Kansas State Highway Patrol reports that eight individuals lost their lives in a highway collision that included fifty or more automobiles. Three individuals were also killed in vehicle accidents in Amarillo, Texas, during a dust storm, according to authorities.
Forecasts indicated that over 100 million people will be affected by the severe weather, with blizzard conditions in the north and increased danger of wildfires in the south due to the winds.
Nearly 300 houses were damaged or burned in the 130 fires recorded across Oklahoma, prompting evacuation orders in several areas. During a press conference on Saturday, Gov. Kevin Stitt revealed that he lost his own house on a ranch northeast of Oklahoma City and that the fire had consumed an area of around 266 square miles (689 square kilometers).
Parts of far western South Dakota and far western Minnesota were under blizzard warnings issued by the National Weather Service early Saturday morning. Three to six inches (7.6 to 15.2 cm) of snow was predicted, with a maximum of one foot (30 cm) being probable. Expected winds would lead to a whiteout.
Such severe weather in March is not unprecedented, according to specialists.
According to the Storm Prediction Center, the area most at danger extended from the eastern parts of Louisiana and Mississippi to Alabama, western Georgia, and the Florida panhandle; significant tornadoes persisted until the late hours of Saturday.
From their front porch in Tylertown, Mississippi, 24-year-old Bailey Dillon and her fiancé Caleb Barnes witnessed a huge twister hit an area around half a mile (0.8 kilometer) distant, close to Paradise Ranch RV Park.
They then drove over to assess the situation and captured footage of downed trees, destroyed buildings, and flipped cars.
“It was catastrophic,” Dillon said. There were a lot of cottages, RVs, and campers that had just been flipped over. It was a total disaster.
All employees and customers of Paradise Ranch were reported safe and sound on Facebook, but according to Dillon, the devastation went beyond the RV site.
Everything in its vicinity, including homes, was leveled, she added. “All of the buildings and schools have disappeared.”
Pictures taken during the severe weather quickly became popular online.
As Tad and Richard Peters refueled their pickup truck in Rolla, Missouri, on Friday night, they were startled to hear tornado sirens and seen other drivers rushing off the highway to find parking.
“Oh my, is this for real?” Oh, it has arrived. “It’s here,” Tad Peters says in a video. Behold the heap of rubble. Aw, drat. Wow, we’re in a tight spot…”
His dad pulled up the window and drove away.
Wildfires forced the two to abandon their weightlifting tournament in Indiana and return home to Norman, Oklahoma, some six hours distant.