Tennessee has seven deaths due to severe weather, all of which occurred in McNairy County, east of Memphis.AFP Maggie Hannan, spokeswoman for the state disaster management agency.
They join the 14 other victims in the states of Arkansas, Mississippi and Alabama, in the south, as well as those of Indiana and Illinois, in the center-east of the country.
The devastating tornadoes also killed five people in Arkansas on Friday, state governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders said at a press conference.
Little Rock, the capital, was hit hard. Residents woke up to overturned cars, huge uprooted trees, broken telephone poles and gutted houses.
The fifty or so tornadoes that struck the American South and Midwest killed 21 people and forced several residents to leave their homes in at least seven of the American states. Tornadoes of rare violence that have sown destruction, particularly in Arkansas. Report by Carla Oliveira, followed by a weather update with Alain Jean-Mary.
We know that many people have had to be displaced and are looking for refuge
detailed the mayor of Little Rock, Frank Scott Jr.
The roof of some buildings was completely blown off
Lara Farrar, a journalist for a local business publication, told AFP on Friday. The neighborhood was simply completely razed and destroyed.
The town of Wynne in the northeast of the state is basically bisected by the damage from east to west
Mayor Jennifer Hobbs told CNN.
Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who said on Saturday that she had discussed the situation with President Joe Biden, had declared a state of emergency the day before and deployed around 100 National Guardsmen.
Mississippi authorities have reported one death and several injuries in Pontotoc County, about 200 km south of Memphis.
The tornado in Little Rock, Arkansas
Photo : Archyde.com / Courtney Forrester
An elderly person was also killed in Alabama when a tornado hit his home, detailed the authorities of Huntsville, near the border with Tennessee.
In the north of the country, in the small town of Belvidere, west of Chicago, in the State of Illinois, part of the roof and the facade of the Apollo Theater collapsed in the middle of a concert. a heavy metal band due to the passage of a violent storm.
Belvidere Fire Chief Shawn Schadle reported one death and 28 injuries, including five hospitalized with serious injuries.
On television, one could see images of injured spectators being evacuated on stretchers. Photos on social media showed a waist-deep pile of debris in the room, as well as a gaping hole in the roof.
In Crawford County, three people were killed by a home collapse, Illinois Emergency Management Agency spokesman Kevin Sur said.
The roof of the Apollo Theater collapsed during a concert during a storm in Belvidere, Illinois.
Photo : Archyde.com / Jessica Bahena Hernandez
In the neighboring state of Indiana, three people were killed by a storm in Sullivan County, according to authorities, quoted by several American media.
More than 650,000 homes were without power Saturday in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Kentucky and West Virginia, according to the American site PowerOutage.
Common Phenomena
The National Weather Service has also warned of high winds, potential tornadoes and severe storms that could hit the northeast on Saturday, including Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York State, with gusts of up to 95 km/h.
Tornadoes, meteorological phenomena as impressive as they are difficult to predict, are common in the United States, especially in the center and south of the country.
A week ago, a tornado that swept through Mississippi killed 25 people and caused immense property damage. President Joe Biden visited the site on Friday.
In December 2021, about 80 people lost their lives after tornadoes hit Kentucky.