PIEDMONT, Mo. (AP) — On Sunday, residents across various parts of the U.S. assessed the destruction caused by fierce weather that included violent tornadoes, strong winds, and blinding dust storms. These calamities resulted in the destruction of homes and infrastructure, tragically leading to at least 35 fatalities.
National Weather Service meteorologist Cody Snell noted that tornado watches were still in effect Sunday morning for sections of the Carolinas, eastern Georgia, and northern Florida. He indicated that while damaging winds posed the primary threat, there remained a chance of additional tornadoes.
“As we move through the day, we still face the potential for severe weather affecting regions from the upper Ohio Valley and western Pennsylvania down through the rest of the mid-Atlantic and Southeast, as a cold front continues its passage across the nation, not clearing the East Coast until later tonight,” Snell stated.
The dynamic storm that raged from Friday to Sunday received an unusual “high risk” classification from weather forecasters. However, experts mentioned that encountering such extreme weather in March is not entirely uncommon. Many citizens are making do with what they have.
Death Toll in Alabama Reaches Three
In central Alabama, at least three individuals lost their lives when several tornadoes swept through the state. Among the victims was an 82-year-old woman who perished in a mobile home that was destroyed by a tornado, as reported by Dallas County Sheriff Michael L. Granthum.
Officials in Troy, Alabama, announced that the recreation center, where over 200 people sought shelter, would remain closed due to damage sustained during overnight storms, although no injuries were reported.
“The Recreation Center has significant damage throughout the facility,” the parks department remarked. “We are grateful that no one was harmed, and that over 200 guests received protection during Saturday night’s storm at the shelter.”
Missouri’s Tornado Death Toll Reaches 12
Missouri resident Dakota Henderson recounted his experience as he and other volunteers rescued neighbors trapped under debris, discovering five bodies outside his aunt’s home in severely affected Wayne County. Authorities confirmed that scattered tornadoes claimed the lives of at least a dozen people in the state.
“It was an incredibly tough situation last night,” Henderson said on Saturday, not far from the wreckage of his aunt’s house, from where they managed to rescue her through a window of the only remaining room. “It’s deeply unsettling what happened to everyone and the casualties from the storm.”
Authorities continued to sift through the extensive damage caused by the tornadoes.
On Saturday, Coroner Jim Akers from Butler County referred to a home, which had become “unrecognizable,” describing it as “a debris field.”
“The floor was upside down,” he elaborated. “We were practically walking on walls.”
Death Toll in Mississippi at Six; Arkansas Reports Three Fatalities
In Mississippi, Governor Tate Reeves revealed that six fatalities occurred across three counties, with reports of three individuals still missing as of late Saturday.
Bailey Dillon, 24, and her fiancé, Caleb Barnes, witnessed a massive tornado from their front porch in Tylertown as it struck an area approximately half a mile (0.8 kilometers) away at Paradise Ranch RV Park.
After the storm passed, they went to help and recorded video footage showing snapped trees, destroyed buildings, and overturned vehicles.
“The damage was catastrophic,” Dillon remarked. “So many cabins, RVs, and campers were flipped over. It felt like everything was obliterated.”
Paradise Ranch confirmed on Facebook that all staff and guests were safe, although Dillon noted that destruction extended far beyond the RV park.
“Everywhere you looked, homes and other structures were devastated,” she added. “Schools and buildings are just completely gone.”
In Arkansas, officials confirmed three fatalities.
Dust Storms Lead to 11 Deaths in Kansas and Texas; Oklahoma Faces Wildfires
Dust storms, resulting from the system’s powerful winds, led to nearly a dozen fatalities on Friday. In Kansas, eight individuals died in a highway pileup involving more than 50 vehicles, according to the state highway patrol. Additionally, three fatalities were reported from car crashes amid a dust storm in Amarillo, located in the Texas Panhandle.
In Oklahoma, more than 130 fires were reported, causing damage to nearly 300 homes, as stated by Governor Kevin Stitt on Saturday.
Images from the Extreme Weather Went Viral
Tad Peters and his father, Richard Peters, had stopped to refuel their pickup truck in Rolla, Missouri, when they heard tornado sirens and saw other drivers abandoning the interstate to seek shelter.
“Whoa, is this coming? Oh, it’s here. It’s here,” Tad Peters can be heard saying on a video. “Look at all that debris. Oh wow. We are in a torn …”
His father then rolled up the window.
The two were en route to Indiana for a weightlifting competition but opted to return home to Norman, Oklahoma, six hours away, where they encountered wildfire conditions.
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Reporters Walker and Reynolds contributed from New York and Louisville, Kentucky, respectively, while Bruce Shipkowski reported from Toms River, New Jersey. Jeff Roberson provided updates from Wayne County, Missouri, Gene Johnson from Seattle, and Janie Har from San Francisco.
