STORMS LEAVE DEADLY TRAIL
System moves eastward after at least 11 killed
Wild weather and waves of tornadoes were heading east after raging through the Midwest and South on Sunday, leaving neighborhoods and lives in ruin. At least 11 people were killed over the weekend.
A wave of tornadoes and wild storms continued its angry march across the Midwest and South on Sunday, raising the death toll to at least 11 and leaving homes and neighborhoods in ruin.
A 2-year-old girl in Tennessee died after being struck by a heavy, metal soccer goal post that was blown over by high winds.
The Metro Nashville Police Department posted on its Twitter page Sunday evening that Melanie Espinoza Rodriguez was trans- ported to Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital where she was pronounced dead.
Middle Tennessee was hit by a strong line of storms that knocked down trees and power lines earlier Sunday.
Across the U.S., 11 people have been killed by tornadoes and flooding in the Midwest and Southeast.
In Arkansas, where two children were missing when their mother’s car was caught in floodwaters, Cove Creek/Pearson Fire Chief Doug Decker died early Sunday after being struck by a vehicle while checking water levels, Arkansas State Trooper Liz Chapman said. It wasn’t clear if Decker’s death would be attributed to the storms.
Police say 65-year-old Julia Schwede was killed when a tree was blown into her home Saturday night.
At least four people were killed and 49 injured Saturday after multiple tornadoes and wild storms swept through Van Zandt County, about 50 miles east of Dallas, Canton Mayor Lou Ann Everett said Sunday. She said crews were still working to assess the situation and the death toll could rise.
The storms tore through an area 35 miles long and 15 miles wide, she said. Homes were destroyed, trees and power lines downed. Thousands were without power.
“The damage was extensive in affected areas,” Everett said. “I have just driven through some of it, and it is heartbreaking.”
Canton resident Ernestine Cook said she rushed to a storm shelter just in time.
“It hit so hard, so fast. It just kept moving,” she said. “I’ve never seen anything like it after 22 years of living here.”
Storms were blamed for two deaths in Missouri, two in Mississippi and three in Arkansas.
Flash flood warnings were issued in multiple states, and there were forecasts for an “ongoing major flood event” in parts of Oklahoma, Arkansas and Missouri. Five to 9 inches of rain fell in some areas Saturday, the weather service said.
“The damage was extensive. I have just driven through some of it, and it is heartbreaking.” Canton, Texas, Mayor Lou Ann Everett