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Storms Kill at Least 10 as Tornadoes Tear Through Midwest and South Storms Kill at Least 21 as Tornadoes Tear Through Midwest and South
(32 minutes later)
NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — A deadly storm system swept through the country’s midsection on Friday, spawning ferocious tornadoes in Arkansas and Indiana, collapsing a roof at a packed concert venue in Illinois and leaving millions of people under tornado watches from Texas to Michigan. NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — A powerful storm system swept through the country’s midsection on Friday, spawning ferocious tornadoes in Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Mississippi and Tennessee, killing at least 21, causing a roof at a packed venue in Illinois to collapse and leaving communities to recover from destroyed homes and impassable roads.
In Arkansas, the governor declared a state of emergency Friday afternoon after officials said one person was killed in North Little Rock and four died in Wynne, about 100 miles to the east, in separate tornadoes. Arkansas reported five deaths, including an unidentified man in North Little Rock and four in Wynne, about 100 miles to the east, in separate tornadoes.
The mayor of Little Rock, Frank Scott Jr., said that at least 30 people were hospitalized there and that more than 2,000 homes were damaged. The storm did extensive damage to businesses and apartment complexes, the local police said. Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders of Arkansas and Mayor Frank Scott Jr. of Little Rock said at a news conference on Saturday morning that they had been in touch with President Biden, who offered federal resources. The governor already declared a state of emergency on Friday, triggering access to statewide assistance, including the National Guard.
In Wynne, Mayor Jennifer Hobbs told CNN that the town had been “cut in half by damage from east to west.” “We ask that everyone be patient as we work to respond as quickly as possible,” Mr. Scott said as he stood outside a fire station that had been mangled by the tornado.
The precise scope of the damage was not immediately clear. A junior high school in the town had been opened for people seeking shelter and food. In Wynne, Mayor Jennifer Hobbs told CNN that the town had been “cut in half by damage from east to west.” A junior high school had been opened for people seeking shelter and food.
On Friday night in northern Illinois, a person was killed and 28 others were hospitalized after the roof collapsed at a theater in Belvidere with 260 people inside, the fire chief, Shawn Schadle, told reporters at the scene. He said five people had severe injuries. On Friday night in northern Illinois, a 50-year-old man was killed and 40 others were injured after the roof collapsed at a theater in Belvidere with 260 people inside, the Boone County emergency managing director, Dan Zaccard, told reporters at a news conference on Saturday morning.
Footage posted to social media appeared to show patrons at the venue, the Apollo Theater, trying to find people beneath the rubble. At least two people had life-threatening injuries, according to Dr. Matt Smetana, medical director for Boone County.
One of the bands on the bill, Morbid Angel, said in a Facebook post that the band’s members were still sheltering in place at the venue. The National Weather Service reported “possible tornado damage” in Belvidere. Concertgoers helped rescue people from the rubble, officials said, including the man who died. Footage on social media appeared to show patrons at the venue, the Apollo Theater, trying to find people beneath the debris.
In addition to the man killed in Belvidere, three people were killed in Crawford County after a “residential structure” collapsed, according to Alicia Tate-Nadeau, the director of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency.
About 200 miles south, in the village of Sherman, Ill., more than a dozen homes were significantly damaged, Trevor J. Clatfelter, the mayor, said by phone Friday night. The storm, he said, had also caused major gas leaks, electricity outages and downed power poles across the village.About 200 miles south, in the village of Sherman, Ill., more than a dozen homes were significantly damaged, Trevor J. Clatfelter, the mayor, said by phone Friday night. The storm, he said, had also caused major gas leaks, electricity outages and downed power poles across the village.
Roughly 150 miles to the east of Sherman, in Sullivan County, Ind., three people were also killed after a tornado, according to Sgt. Matt Ames of the Indiana State Police.Roughly 150 miles to the east of Sherman, in Sullivan County, Ind., three people were also killed after a tornado, according to Sgt. Matt Ames of the Indiana State Police.
He said in an earlier interview with local news that the local Veterans of Foreign Wars building was “completely gone.” Pictures posted on social media by the V.F.W. chapter showed a mangled structure stripped of its roof. Seven people died in McNairy County, Tenn., said Maggie Hannan, communications director for the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency.
At least one person was killed and four others were injured in Pontotoc County, Miss., which is about 110 miles southeast of Memphis, Tenn., according to the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency. Across the state, there were reports of damaged homes and downed trees. At least one person was killed and four others were injured in Pontotoc County, Miss., which is about 110 miles southeast of Memphis, according to the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency.
In Covington, Tenn., six people were hospitalized after a tornado in the city, Kimberly Alexander, a spokeswoman for Baptist Memorial Hospital, said by phone on Friday night. Near Huntsville, Ala., Ovie Lasater, 90, died inside her home after it was destroyed by a tornado, said Don Webster, a spokesman with Huntsville Emergency Medical Services. At least three other people were taken to the hospital, two with critical injuries.
On Saturday morning, Ms. Alexander said that the hospital did not treat any additional patients, though it did sustain roof damage but remained open. On Facebook, the Covington Police Department described the city as “impassable.” In Covington, Tenn., six people were hospitalized after a tornado in the city, said Kimberly Alexander, a spokeswoman for Baptist Memorial Hospital. On Facebook, the Covington Police Department described the city as “impassable.”
In addition to Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana and Tennessee, tornadoes were reported to the National Weather Service across Wisconsin, Iowa and Mississippi. As the storm system moved eastward early on Saturday, tornado warnings remained in place for parts of Alabama and Georgia, according to the National Weather Service. In addition to Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana and Tennessee, tornadoes were reported to the Weather Service across Wisconsin, Iowa and Mississippi.
The governor of Arkansas, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, said that officials there were on alert for the death toll to rise. Between 6 a.m. Friday to 6 a.m. Saturday, trained spotters reported 65 locations where tornadoes were seen or caused damage, according to the Weather Service. The exact number of individual tornadoes might not be known for days, as weather officials survey the damage.
Between 6 a.m. Friday to 6 a.m. Saturday, trained spotters reported 65 locations where tornadoes were spotted or caused damage, according to the Weather Service. The exact number of individual tornadoes might not be known for days, as weather officials survey the damage. Weather Service meteorologists had issued more than 450 tornado warnings alerting people to the possibility of an imminent tornado by late Friday.
By late Friday, Weather Service meteorologists had issued more than 450 tornado warnings alerting people to the possibility of an imminent tornado. Additional warnings were issued overnight and into Saturday. As of Saturday afternoon, more than 400,000 customers across five states were without power, according to PowerOutage.us, which aggregates data from utilities across the country.
As of Saturday morning, more than 240,000 customers across five states were without power, according to PowerOutage.us, which aggregates data from utilities across the country. In Little Rock, the noises of machinery used to clear debris and whirring chain saws were constant. Though most of the roads were passable, traffic was slow as traffic signals were out while widespread power failures persisted.
Baptist Health’s medical centers in Little Rock and North Little Rock treated a total of 38 patients — four of whom remain in the intensive care unit — Cara Wade, a spokeswoman, said Saturday morning. Hadidi Oriental Rug has been a fixture in Little Rock for more than 30 years and on Saturday morning, its owner, David Hadidi, wandered around the store, surveying the damage.
Joshua Cook, a spokesman for CHI St. Vincent Infirmary, said the hospital’s emergency department saw a “steady flow of patients” throughout Friday night, none of whom had life-threatening injuries. Rocks and glass littered the showroom floor, lit by the bright sunlight shining through gaping holes in the roof. Some of the rugs would have to be thrown away.
Leslie Taylor, a spokeswoman for the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, said four people had been admitted and three of them were trauma patients. “Insurance says you can’t sell rugs with glass, no matter how much you clean them,” Mr. Hadidi said.
In Indian Hills, a middle-class neighborhood in North Little Rock, about a dozen homes appeared to have been damaged, including the home of Mildred Loy, 95, who said she had nearly been crushed when a tree fell through her roof. In Indian Hills, a neighborhood in North Little Rock, about a dozen homes appeared to have been damaged, including the home of Mildred Loy, 95, who said she had nearly been crushed when a tree fell through her roof.
Ms. Loy said that her caregiver had scooped her off the sofa and moved her to the hallway, where she climbed on top of Ms. Loy to protect her. “As she laid down, we heard boom,” Ms. Loy said. “It crashed right where I was sitting.”Ms. Loy said that her caregiver had scooped her off the sofa and moved her to the hallway, where she climbed on top of Ms. Loy to protect her. “As she laid down, we heard boom,” Ms. Loy said. “It crashed right where I was sitting.”
Meteorologists at the National Weather Service office in Little Rock had to move to a tornado shelter on Friday afternoon, as it became clear that their office was in the tornado’s path.Meteorologists at the National Weather Service office in Little Rock had to move to a tornado shelter on Friday afternoon, as it became clear that their office was in the tornado’s path.
Stephanie Carruthers, a manager at Trio’s restaurant in Pavilion in the Park shopping center in Little Rock, said that about 25 employees and customers safely had ridden out the storm in the kitchen. Footage on social media appeared to show a large tornado touching down in Sigourney, a town of about 2,000 people about 70 miles southwest of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Other images from the region appeared to show buildings torn apart and upturned cars.
“It blew over so fast,” Ms. Carruthers said. “It started raining real hard, so we all ran into the kitchen. I turned around, and the front doors just blew up.” Manny Galvez, a resident of Coralville, a city about 20 miles south of Cedar Rapids, said he had hunkered in his basement just before 5 p.m.
Footage on social media appeared to show a large tornado touching down in Sigourney, a town of about 2,000 people about 70 miles southwest of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Other images from the region appeared to show torn-apart buildings and upturned cars. “That was terrifying,” Mr. Galvez said in a phone interview.
Manny Galvez, a resident of Coralville, a city about 20 miles south of Cedar Rapids, said he had hunkered down in his basement just before 5 p.m. Parts of Mississippi were devastated last week by tornadoes that left at least 26 people dead. President Biden on Friday visited Rolling Fork, the Mississippi community hit hardest by those tornadoes.
“That was terrifying,” Mr. Galvez said in a phone interview, adding that he had emerged about 40 minutes later to find trucks upturned.
Parts of Mississippi were devastated last week by tornadoes that left at least 26 people dead.
President Biden on Friday visited Rolling Fork, the Mississippi community hit hardest by those tornadoes. Tornadoes killed 13 people and destroyed homes and businesses in Rolling Fork and in surrounding Sharkey County.
Reporting was contributed by Robert Chiarito, Amanda Holpuch, Derrick Bryson Taylor, John Keefe, Euan Ward and Tim Wallace. Reporting was contributed by Robert Chiarito, Amanda Holpuch, Derrick Bryson Taylor, John Keefe, Euan Ward, Joshua Needelman and Tim Wallace.