(Washington) Tornadoes and severe thunderstorms that swept through several US states this weekend killed at least 32 people, authorities said.
Tennessee was particularly hard hit with 15 severe weather-related deaths, the southern state’s emergency management agency reported Sunday.
Nine people notably lost their lives in McNairy County east of Memphis, while two children and an adult were killed in Memphis even when trees fell on homes, local police said. AFP.
The Tennessee victims join 17 others in the southern states of Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, as well as those in northern Illinois and Indiana, and Delaware on the East coast.
“We are working closely with the State of Indiana and other affected states as they assess the damage and we stand ready to respond to any additional requests for federal assistance,” US President Joe Biden said on Sunday. who also expressed his support for the victims and their families.
Wherever thunderstorms and tornadoes have struck since Friday, residents now have to deal with the damage: overturned cars, uprooted trees, broken telephone poles and gutted houses.
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 swept through Mississippi, killing 25 people and causing extensive property damage. President Biden visited the site on Friday.
In December 2021, approximately 80 people lost their lives after tornadoes hit Kentucky.