Unusual series of tornadoes in the US: destruction in several states, 26 people killed |
Tornadoes have left behind a story of destruction in several states of the United States, in which at least 26 people have died so far.
Many houses were destroyed due to the storm, while thousands of people are currently without electricity.
According to the news of the American newspaper Washington Post, about 60 tornadoes have been reported so far and due to bad weather, there have been deaths in the states of Arkansas, Tennessee, Illinois, Indiana, Alabama, and Mississippi.
A similar storm passed through the town of Wayne, Arkansas, about 100 miles from the state capital, Little Rock.
Ashley Mullen said she hid with her husband and children in a small bathroom where they also sheltered their dogs.
He said that when the tornado passed by his house, 'we were saying goodbye to each other because we thought we were going to die.'
A tree fell on their house causing a lot of damage but they all survived.
Talking to AP News, he said, "We were feeling the house shaking, we were hearing loud noises, dishes were rattling and then suddenly everything went quiet."
Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders declared a state of emergency on Friday and mobilized the National Guard for relief efforts.
The governor said that he has also discussed the situation with US President Joe Biden and the president has assured assistance from the federal government.
As the storm moves eastward, millions of people are without power in several states.
According to the American website Power Outage, the states of Virginia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania are the most affected.
Earlier on Friday, storms destroyed one person and injured 28 others when the roof of a theater collapsed during a music concert in Belvedere, Illinois.
Just a week before the most recent devastating storm, 26 people were killed in a similar disaster in Mississippi.
US President Joe Biden also visited the affected area on Friday.
On the other hand, the Storm Prediction Center has warned that a few tornadoes can be affected over a long distance.
Last week's Mississippi tornado traveled about 60 miles and lasted an hour and 10 minutes. This is an unusually long time for any storm and it damaged over 2,000 homes.