Recovery crews and utility workers began cleaning up widespread damage on Thursday left by severe storms that spawned tornadoes across six states in the US south and midwest, killing at least 14 peopl
Recovery crews and utility workers began cleaning up widespread damage on Thursday left by severe storms that spawned tornadoes across six states in the US south and midwest, killing at least 14 people and destroying scores of homes.
Emergency declarations were issued in Mississippi and Tennessee, the two states hardest hit by severe weather on Wednesday that also complicated getaway plans for travellers looking to make the most of the long holiday weekend.
With about 100 million Americans expected to travel over the Christ-mas holiday, most of them by car, the Nati-onal Weather Service forecast isolated severe thunderstorms from the mid-Atlantic region to the Gulf Coast and record warmth in New York. Wednesday’s stor-m system triggered more than 20 tornadoes in Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and Michi-gan, authorities said.
One large tornado tore a 160 km path through northern Mississippi, demolishing or heavily damaging more than 100 homes and other buildings before plowing into western Tennessee, authorities said.
Mississippi governor Phil Bryant declared a state of emergency in areas affected by the storm, saying 14 tornadoes had touched down in his state. Mr Bryant said seven people were killed and one person was missing.
“Everybody is pulling together here in Mississippi today to help respond to this disaster,” Mr Bryant said on CNN.
He said shelters had been set up and the full extent of the damage would not be known for several days. Mississ-ippi authorities said some 40 people were injured in the six counties that bore the brunt of the storms, and that a 7-year-old boy was among those killed.
Six storm-related fata-lities were reported by authorities in Tenn-essee, and an 18-year-old woman was killed in Arkansas when a tree crashed into her house, authorities said.
Thirteen counties in Tennessee suffered sev-ere damage, with a post office destroyed and a state highway washed out, officials said.
