PIEDMONT, Missouri, USA (AP) — Residents affected by unusually violent weather conditions in parts of the United States assessed the damage caused by tornadoes, strong winds, and dust storms that devastated homes and other structures on Sunday, leaving at least 35 dead.
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National Weather Service meteorologist Cody Snell indicated that tornado warnings were still in effect Sunday morning for parts of the Carolinas, eastern Georgia, and northern Florida. He stated that the main threat would be the winds, but there is also a possibility of more tornadoes.
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“As we move through today, there is still potential for severe weather from, let’s say, the upper Ohio Valley and western Pennsylvania to the rest of the mid-Atlantic and the Southeast, as we have this cold front that is still moving across the country, and it won’t clear the East Coast until later tonight,” Snell stated.
The storm from Friday to Sunday received an unusual “high risk” designation from weather forecasters. Nevertheless, experts stated that it is not uncommon to see such extreme weather in March.
The number of deaths in Alabama has risen to three
At least three people died in central Alabama when multiple tornadoes swept through the state. Among the deceased was an 82-year-old woman who was in a prefabricated home that was destroyed by a tornado, said Dallas County Sheriff Michael L. Granthum on Sunday.
In Troy, Alabama, park officials reported that the recreational center where more than 200 people had taken shelter would be closed due to the damage caused by the storms the previous night. There were no injuries.
“The Recreational Center has significant damage throughout the building,” the parks department reported. “We are grateful that the Lord provided protection to our community and over 200 guests in the storm shelter at the Recreational Center.”
Tornado deaths in Missouri rise to 12
Dakota Henderson, a resident of Missouri, reported that he and others rescuing trapped neighbors found five bodies scattered among the debris on Friday night, outside of what was left of his aunt’s house in the hard-hit Wayne County. Scattered tornadoes killed at least a dozen people in the state, authorities reported.
“It was a very tough situation last night,” Henderson expressed on Saturday, not far from the destroyed house from which he said they rescued his aunt through a window of the only room that remained standing. “It’s really disturbing what happened to the people, the victims last night.”
The authorities were still assessing the huge damages caused by the tornadoes.
On Saturday, Butler County coroner Jim Akers described the “unrecognizable house” where a man died as “simply a field of debris.”
“The floor was upside down,” he recounted. “We were walking on the walls.”
Six deaths in Mississippi; three in Arkansas
In Mississippi, Governor Tate Reeves announced that six people died in three counties and three more were missing late on Saturday.
Bailey Dillon, 24, and her fiancé, Caleb Barnes, watched from their porch in Tylertown as a huge tornado hit an area about half a mile away near Paradise Ranch RV Park.
Then they drove around to see if anyone needed help and recorded a video of fallen trees, destroyed buildings, and overturned vehicles.
“The amount of damage was catastrophic,” Dillon stated. “There were a large number of cabins, mobile homes, campers that were simply overturned. Everything was destroyed.”
Paradise Ranch expressed through Facebook that all staff and guests were safe and accounted for, but Dillon mentioned that the damages extended beyond the trailer park.
“Houses and everything around were destroyed,” he said. “Schools and buildings simply disappeared.”
In Arkansas, authorities confirmed three deaths.
Dust storms cause 11 deaths in Kansas and Texas; Oklahoma faces wildfires
The dust storms caused by strong winds claimed nearly a dozen lives on Friday. Eight people died in a Kansas highway accident involving at least 50 vehicles, according to the state highway patrol. Authorities reported that three people also died in car accidents during a dust storm in Amarillo, in the Texas Panhandle.
More than 130 fires were reported in Oklahoma and nearly 300 homes were damaged or destroyed, Governor Kevin Stitt indicated on Saturday.
Some images of the extreme weather went viral online. Tad Peters and his father, Richard Peters, stopped to refuel their truck in Rolla, Missouri, on Friday night when they heard tornado sirens and saw other motorists fleeing the interstate to park.
“Wow, is this getting closer? Oh, it’s already here. It’s already here,” you can hear Tad Peters saying in a video. “Look at all that debris. Ohhh. My God, we’re in a tornado...”
His father then raised the window.
The two were heading to Indiana for a weightlifting competition, but they decided to return home to Norman, Oklahoma, about six hours away, where they later encountered a forest fire.