In the past few days, a devastating storm system has torn through parts of the southern and midwestern United States, leaving a trail of destruction and devastation in its wake. According to officials, at least 32 people have lost their lives in the disaster, with hundreds more injured.
The storm, which struck at least eight states over the weekend, prompted over 50 preliminary reports of tornadoes, with the hardest-hit areas including Indiana, Iowa, Illinois, Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, Delaware, and Alabama. The affected region, home to 85 million people, saw a staggering 900,000 places without power, with debris scattered everywhere.
As the storm made its way across the country, authorities scrambled to respond to the disaster. President Joe Biden announced the approval of an expedited major disaster declaration for Arkansas, allowing federal agencies to provide quick assistance to those affected. The president also pledged to work closely with other impacted states, saying, “We stand ready to respond to any additional requests for federal assistance. There’s nothing we can do to heal the hole left in the hearts of far too many families who lost loved ones this weekend, but we will be there every step of the way as they rebuild and recover.”
One of the worst-hit areas was Sullivan, Indiana, where a tornado tore through the small city, destroying homes and buildings. Mayor Clint Lamb warned residents to stay safe and stay put, while Indiana’s governor, Eric Holcomb, declared a state of emergency and called for an “all hands on deck effort” to respond to the disaster.
Savage Storms Rampage Across Southern and Midwest USIn Iowa, Governor Kim Reynolds issued a disaster proclamation for 12 counties in eastern Iowa, where twin tornadoes wreaked havoc, destroying at least nine homes. Meanwhile, in Belvidere, Illinois, a concert hall theater collapsed during a heavy metal concert, killing one person and injuring 28 others.
The National Weather Service reported a severe weather event across north-eastern Illinois and north-western Indiana, prompting scattered large hail, widespread wind damage, and multiple tornadoes. In Arkansas, Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed an executive order declaring a state of emergency, vowing to spare no resource in assisting with response and recovery efforts.
As the people of the affected areas begin to rebuild and recover, the costs of the disaster are beginning to mount. President Biden has promised that the federal government will cover the total cost of the state’s emergency measures for the next 30 days, including overtime for first responders and debris cleanup.
Despite the devastation, residents are showing resilience and determination to rebuild and get back to normal. As Mark Griffin, assistant principal at Wynne High School in Arkansas, said, “I’ve never seen anything like this in my whole lifetime. It’s hard to see and it’s hard to know because we don’t have a lot of communication with people. Cell service is sketchy, so we’re just worried about a lot of people and all we can do is do what we can do for right now and try to start getting things back in order and safe for people to walk around.”