According to local officials, a devastating series of tornadoes that swept through the Midwestern, Southern, and Northeastern United States killed at least 26 people and injured dozens more, with hundreds of thousands without power.
On Friday and over the weekend, at least 60 tornadoes wreaked havoc across at least eight US states, destroying homes, felling trees, and flipping cars. Tennessee appeared to be the hardest hit, with officials reporting nine deaths in McNairy County alone.
According to the local sheriff, all of the deceased were in buildings destroyed by the disaster. In the same state, tornadoes killed one person and injured 28 others in Tipton County.
According to officials, at least five people died in Arkansas, four in Illinois, and three in Indiana. Mississippi, Delaware, Ohio, and Alabama authorities reported one death each.
Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders of Arkansas declared a state of emergency, activating the National Guard to assist with tornado response and requesting federal assistance.
In Belvidere, northern Illinois, a tornado caused the roof of the Apollo Theatre, where metal band Morbid Angel was performing, to collapse, killing one and injuring 40 others.
According to poweroutage.us, the disaster also caused severe power outages, affecting over one million customers on Saturday. The bad weather also spread to other states, knocking out power to over 100,000 customers in Pennsylvania and tens of thousands more in Ohio and West Virginia.
