The rare December twisters that flattened homes and caused chaos on highways raised the death toll from days of deadly weather across the South to at least 41.
The extreme weather, fueled by unseasonably warm air, is likely to continue for the next few days, the National Weather Service warned, complicating search and rescue efforts and possibly wreaking more havoc in the region.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Sunday declared a state of emergency across four counties, including the densely populated Dallas area where several tornadoes touched down late Saturday, the day after Christmas.
In the hardest-hit Dallas suburb of Garland, authorities confirmed eight fatalities after a tornado packing winds of up to 200 miles per hour bore down on the city.
Aerial footage taken as day broke showed some homes completely flattened, while others had roofs blown off and windows shattered, curtains fluttering in the wind.
No official overall toll is yet available for the state of Texas, as emergency crews continue to search through the debris for possible victims...
AFP
i24news.tv
28/12/15
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Rare Tornadoes Ran Amok in Southern U.S., More Than 40 Killed...
ReplyDeleteAuthorities said tornadoes and floods triggered by severe storms continued raging in southern U.S., killing more than 40 people. Tornadoes claimed at least 11 lives in the greater Dallas area over the weekend, and winds of up to 300 kph were recorded in the city of Garland.
Majority of the fatalities reported were caused by accidents as the twisters blew the victims' vehicles off highways. Officials in Arkansas said a tornado hit Bearden as a fierce weather system swept into the region. In Missouri, Governor Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency due to widespread flooding. The governor's office issued a press release on Sunday stating that the weekend flooding left eight people dead and led to evacuations and dozens of water rescues. More flooding is expected as water levels in rivers continue to rise across the state.
Earlier, Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant declared a state of emergency for the affected areas after confirming seven fatalities from the severe weather that started moving through the state on Wednesday morning. The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) also confirmed at least 40 injured victims in the state.
In Tennessee, the storms killed at least three people, including a 22-year-old man in Rhea County and a 69-year-old woman and a 70-year-old man in Perry County.
http://www.ubalert.com/RCec
28/12/15