Severe weather wreaked havoc across the central United States, claiming the lives of at least five people, including a four-month-old infant, and causing widespread destruction.
The onslaught of tornadoes, which began on Friday and continued into Saturday, left tens of thousands without power and prompted a state of emergency in a dozen Oklahoma counties.
Four fatalities occurred in Oklahoma, where the town of Sulphur bore the brunt of the devastation.
Images from Sulphur revealed flattened homes and overturned vehicles in the tornado’s wake. Additionally, the towns of Holdenville and Marietta suffered extensive damage.
The Oklahoma State Department of Health reported approximately 100 injuries across the impacted areas.
In a separate storm system, a fifth person succumbed to injuries in Iowa, highlighting the widespread reach and impact of the severe weather.
Preliminary investigations by the National Weather Service revealed that some tornadoes on Saturday had wind gusts exceeding 136 miles (218 kilometers) per hour.
The storms, which spanned from Texas to Missouri, also brought heavy rainfall, with some areas receiving up to seven inches (18 centimeters) within a few hours.
The devastation left in the wake of these storms underscores the importance of preparedness and resilience in the face of natural disasters.
The speaker of the Oklahoma state House of Representatives, Charles McCall, maintained that the affected areas would recover.
“We will rise, we’ll clean up, we’ll rebuild and we’ll move forward,” he told a news conference in Sulphur on Sunday.
The state’s Governor, Kevin Stitt, who also visited the town explained that the damage there was the worst he had seen in his six years in office.
“You just can’t believe the destruction,” he said.
“It seems like every business downtown has been destroyed.”
The White House said US President Joe Biden had spoken with Mr Stitt and offered the federal government’s full support.
Following the recent severe weather in the central United States, a separate weather system unleashed over 70 tornadoes in the Midwestern states of Nebraska and Iowa on Friday. The city of Omaha bore the brunt of these tornadoes, with residents recounting harrowing experiences.
The string of tornadoes added to the region’s woes, compounding the challenges faced by communities already grappling with the aftermath of previous storms.
The resilience and resolve of residents in these areas were put to the test, highlighting the importance of community support and preparedness in the face of natural disasters.
“Saw this big tornado coming and just had to cover with the kids and wife as fast as we could,” Brent Richardson told the Associated Press.
“Loudest freight train you’ve ever heard in your life coming right through your house.”
“Utter destruction, just chaos. A neighbourhood that’s trying to band together to help people out and you have some people trapped in houses that we’re trying to get out and there’s houses that aren’t standing any more.”
Nebraska’s governor issued emergency declarations for three counties on Sunday, making them also eligible for extra funding towards rescue and recovery operations.
Further severe weather has been forecast.
“The threat of tornadoes appears to be lower, but instances of damaging winds and hail are still expected, especially across north-eastern Texas, northern Louisiana, Arkansas and southern Missouri,” meteorologist Brandon Buckingham from the commercial forecaster AccuWeather reported.
