At least 40 tornadoes reported as destructive storms devastate the South and Midwest, killing 36

At least 36 people have died in a devastating cross-country storm this weekend as 40 tornadoes ripped through eight states in the South and Midwest, decimating homes, businesses and schools.

The death toll has continued to grow as extreme weather and powerful tornadoes left hundreds of thousands without power, as the monster storm is expected to slam parts of the East Coast on Sunday. 

The dynamic “high risk” storm from Friday to Sunday has spurred at least 40 tornadoes across eight states, including Alabama, Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi, Illinois, Louisiana, Indiana and Tennessee.

At least three people, including an 82-year-old woman inside a manufactured home, were killed in central Alabama when multiple tornadoes bulldozed through the state, Dallas County Sheriff Michael L. Granthum said Sunday.

Twelve fatalities were reported in Missouri – the most of any state struck by the storm – from scattered twisters, thunderstorms and gigantic hail that wreaked havoc on dozens of communities.

Five bodies were found scattered in the debris as rescuers desperately tried to save their trapped neighbors on Friday, Missouri resident Dakota Henderson said.

“It was a very rough deal last night. It’s really disturbing for what happened to the people, the casualties last night,” Henderson told the Associated Press on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Butler County Coroner Jim Akers described the “unrecognizable home” where one man was killed as “just a debris field.”

“The floor was upside down. We were walking on walls,” he told AP.

In Mississippi, six people have died in three counties and three more were missing as of late Saturday, Gov. Tate Reeves announced.

Meanwhile, in Troy, Alabama, a recreation center where over 200 people had taken shelter from the storm would be closed because of the damage it sustained overnight from the storms, officials said.

Officials in Arkansas also confirmed three deaths, while Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders declared a state of emergency.

Sanders said that 50 National Guard members and 40 state police were on the ground providing aid, though it could take her state weeks, or even months, to recover. 

“Our goal is to help and aid the local folks on the ground and take care of people. We’ll worry about the paperwork later,” Sanders wrote on X.

As tornadoes wrecked part of the nation, dust storms spurred by the system’s high winds claimed almost a dozen lives on Friday, including eight people in Kansas who were killed in a highway pileup that involved at least 50 cars.

Three people were also killed in car crashes during the dust storm in Amarillo, in the Texas Panhandle, authorities said.

Additionally, over 130 fires were reported across Oklahoma, and nearly 300 homes were damaged or destroyed, Gov. Kevin Stitt said Saturday.

Tornado watches remain in effect in portions of Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Tennessee and Georgia as the powerful storm system moves east. 

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp declared an emergency in anticipation of the storm’s shift eastward on Sunday, potentially bringing isolated tornadoes and hail and gusts of 50 to 70 mph.

By Sunday, severe storms will slam the Carolinas and Virginia coast with damaging winds, tornadoes, and heavy rain, according to the National Weather Service.

“This evening, make sure your phones are charged and not silenced so you receive emergency weather alerts,” South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster warned on X.

“Dangerous storms may move into SC after bedtime. Be prepared to take action and seek shelter if directed to do so.”

With Post wires.

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