Status: 04/01/2023 05:43
A tornado wreaked havoc in southern Arkansas. Several people died and tens of thousands were left without power. A theater roof collapsed in Illinois.
A gigantic storm system in the southern and midwestern United States has resulted in tornadoes. Homes and shopping malls were destroyed, vehicles overturned and trees uprooted. People tried to get to safety. At least one person died in the Arkansas capital, Little Rock, according to authorities. About two dozen other people were injured, some seriously.
The town of Wynne in eastern Arkansas was also devastated. At least two deaths were reported from the area. Authorities reported destroyed homes and people trapped among debris as tornadoes continued to move east across the country late in the evening. Police in Covington, Tennessee reported downed power lines and trees.
Illinois theater roof collapses
Two more hurricanes were reported in Iowa. It rained in Illinois while wind-blown grass fires burned in Oklahoma. Overall, the storm system threatened a large area of the country where 85 million people live – slightly more than in the entire Federal Republic.
The roof of a theater collapsed during a tornado in the city of Belvidere, Illinois. The city’s fire chief said at least one person was killed and at least 28 injured. A concert had just taken place at the venue. Media reported it was a heavy metal concert at the Apollo Theater. Belvidere police said the collapse happened as a violent storm swept through the area. From 7.48 p.m. (local time) emergency calls were received from the theater. The first assessment is that a tornado caused the collapse. Belvidere is about 70 miles northwest of Chicago.
70,000 people without electricity
“Significant damage” was done in central Arkansas, Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders wrote on Twitter. She spoke of at least two fatalities and dozens injured. The local newspaper “Democrat-Gazette” reported, citing a hospital, that “several” injured people in critical condition were already being treated.
As the “New York Times” reported, the tornado hit near Little Rock, the capital of Arkansas, downed trees and damaged houses. More than 70,000 people were without power across the state, according to the website Poweroutage.us. Police and rescue workers are on duty to help the injured, wrote Governor Sanders.
The Republican urged residents to remain safe in the face of further storm warnings from the national weather service NWS. Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott wrote on Twitter of a “devastating” storm. Gov. Sanders wrote that she had dispatched the National Guard to support local responders. She also declared a state of emergency.
Bidens visit destroyed site in Mississippi
A tornado killed at least 26 people in the states of Mississippi and Alabama just a week ago. On Friday, US President Joe Biden and his wife Jill visited the small town of Rolling Fork, Mississippi, which had been hit particularly hard by the tornado. During the visit, the Bidens got an idea of the destruction in the 2,000-inhabitant community and met, among other things, the city’s mayor and affected residents.
“You are not alone,” Biden said amid the rubble of destroyed homes and uprooted trees. “The American people will stand by you. They will help you get through here – and so will I,” Biden promised. The President announced Monday the opening of a local disaster center where affected residents could seek help.
