At least five people, including a four-month-old baby, have been killed after dozens of tornadoes ripped through the central US causing serious damage. Tens of thousands of residents were left without power following separate storms that began last weekend. Four of the deaths happened in Oklahoma, where a state of emergency has been declared and the fifth person is said to have died from injuries in Iowa after a separate storm system hit the Midwest, reports say.
The National Weather Service, NWS, said a preliminary investigation had confirmed some of Saturday’s tornadoes had gusts of above one hundred and thirty-six miles an hour. The storms which swept from Texas to Missouri also saw up to seven inches of rain fall in some places within hours. The town of Sulphur, in eastern Oklahoma, was hit particularly hard with the State Department of Health, recording around one hundred injuries. Meanwhile, the speaker of Oklahoma state House of Representatives, Charles McCall, insists that the affected areas will recover while the White House confirmed US President Joe Biden’s full support.
Chidozie Chima | September 13, 2024
