Deadly Storms Sweep Midwestern and Southern Areas Of The Country

A lingering storm system has caused deadly flooding in parts of the Midwest and the South over a few days. As the system of storms traversed the country, they have set off widespread thunderstorms across the Great Plains area, according to ABC News.  

Towards the end of last week, the storms began to blow towards the East and caused an outbreak of severe weather. Starting April 2 and taking place over a 4-day timespan, over a foot of rain was noted across areas in Arkansas, Tennessee and Kentucky, per ABC News. The largest instance of rainfall took place in Benton, Kentucky which had a record 15.68 inches of rain.  

A minimum of 26 people were killed due to the extreme weather across seven different states, Fox Weather reports. Deaths from tornadoes were reported in states like Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, Indiana, and Mississippi. 

“The weather was awful, they were giving us warnings about it. It hit middle Tennessee, which is where I am. But I'm not in the city so it wasn’t that bad,” said Gabrielle Moncrieffe, a first-year Tennessee State University student and Nashville resident. “There were alarms going off all throughout the city though, it sounded like the  Purge alarm. We didn’t evacuate but there was a tornado. It was insane.”

  President Donald Trump approved emergency disaster declarations in Tennessee, Kentucky and Arkansas. FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) provided support to communities in need from the disaster.  

There were three confirmed deaths in Missouri, five in Kentucky, two deaths each in Arkansas and Georgia, and one fatality each in Indiana and Mississippi, CBS News reports. The list of fatalities ranges from a 9-year-old boy to a 74-year-old in Kentucky. 

“It wasn’t as bad here in other states nearby, of course…The lights did go out for a few minutes a couple of times but nothing really crazy besides some extra heavy rain and thunder. I’m just grateful it didn’t hit us as hard as it did other places,” said Georgia Resident Jazmin Chaves. 

The American Red Cross are on site in the affected states and cooperating alongside state and local officials to provide support to those affected by the storms, according to a press release via their website.