THE tornadoes et severe thunderstorms which swept away several american states this weekend left at least 32 people dead, according to authorities. Tennessee was particularly hard hit, with 15 severe weather-related deaths, the southern state’s emergency management agency reported on Sunday.
Nine people notably lost their lives in McNairy County, east of Memphis, while two children and an adult were killed in Memphis itself when trees fell on homes, local police said.
Joe Biden supports victims
The Tennessee victims join the 17 others recorded in the states of Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, in the south, as well as those of Illinois and Indiana, in the north of the country, 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,” the US president said on Sunday. Joe Bidenwho also expressed his support for the victims and their families.
Human and material damage
Wherever thunderstorms and tornadoes have struck since Friday, residents must now face the damage cars overturned, uprooted trees, broken telephone poles or 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 immense property damage. President Biden visited the site on Friday.
In December 2021, about 80 people lost their lives after tornadoes hit Kentucky.
