A severe storm system absolutely devastated the South over the weekend, with tornadoes, flooding, and thunderstorms leading to the deaths of at least nine people.
More than 17 tornadoes spawned across multiple states, including Alabama, Mississippi, Ohio, and Texas. Flooding was also a serious impact of these storms as well. Extreme weather also pummeled parts of the Northeast and the Midwest, too.
Some 150,000 homes and businesses from Texas all the way to North Carolina lost power during the storms.
While no deaths were reported, parts of Franklin, Texas (about 125 miles south of Dallas) were demolished by a tornado. According to the National Weather Service in southwest Texas, the storm included winds of at least 136 mph.
Approximately 55 homes were destroyed, as were four businesses, a church, and more. Rescue workers in the area also had to act fast to pull people from the rubble.
About 150 miles southeast of Dallas in an area near Pollok, thunderstorms led to the death of two young siblings. The family was driving home when a tree fell on their car during the storm. The two brothers – 8 and 3 years old – died at the scene. According to a family friend, “They were less than 200 yards from their home” when it happened.
Additionally, at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, close to 2,000 flights had to be canceled due to weather concerns.
Two people, including a 13-year-old, died in flash floods in Louisiana caused by the same severe storm system.
The child died by drowning in a drainage canal in Bawcomville. The other person died in Calhoun after their vehicle became submerged in floodwaters.
In Shelby, Ohio, about 90 miles southwest from Cleveland, a tornado touched down and damaged a half-dozen homes. According to several reports, there were at least 6 people injured.
High winds were also prominent features of the storm system in multiple other states. In Stafford, Virginia, a tree fell on the home of a 78-year-old woman, killing her early Monday morning. A similar scenario happened in Mississippi when a tree landed on a trailer home, killing the 95-year-old man inside.
Hundreds of thousands of people were left without electricity on Monday morning. This includes homes in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. In the southern U.S., roughly another 60,000 people across Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Texas were without power on Sunday night.
Mississippi State University was narrowly missed by a tornado that neared the Starkville campus. While some debris was found, there was no damage to buildings and no injuries reported. However, high winds did damage the roof of a hotel located in New Albany.
In addition to those mentioned, a county employee was hit by a car in Hueytown, Alabama just outside Birmingham. He had been clearing away trees and debris around 2:15 in the morning according to the local Sherriff’s office.
Two others were killed in Texas – one during a cultural event in Alto, Texas. The other was in Weches, an unincorporated community in Houston County.
Of course, reports are still rolling in as the affected areas continue to recover from the storms.
