At least 31 tornadoes ripped through the Plains and South on Sunday, leaving at least 18 people dead and forecasters warning that the worst may be yet to come.
Rescuers in Arkansas searched through the rubble overnight in suburban Little Rock where a tornado that was up to half a mile wide touched down just west of the city on Sunday, flattening homes and flipping cars and trucks in its path.
At least 16 people were killed in the state as the twister touched down at dusk and left behind a miles-long path of destruction. Deaths were also reported Oklahoma and Iowa.
"It is utter and sheer devastation"
The towns of Mayflower and Vilonia in Arkansas' Faulkner County -- which has population of just above 100,000 -- were hardest hit, with at least 10 dead and dozens of homes destroyed.
“What I’m seeing is something that I cannot describe in words,” Sheriff Andy Shock told NBC News. “It is utter and sheer devastation.”
He said rescue crews were trying to be optimistic, but expected the death toll could climb once daylight hits.
“We’re praying not but there’s no telling,” he said, adding local landmarks were leveled and that at a “bare minimum” 150 homes were destroyed.
When morning breaks, bulldozers and backhoes will help rescuers comb the rubble, searching for survivors.
“There’s no knocking on doors,” Shock said. “These places are leveled.”
Major damage was reported in Mayflower, which is located about 25 miles from Little Rock, where homes and businesses were reduced to matchsticks.
"It turned pitch black," said Mark Ausbrooks, who was at his parents' house in Mayflower when the storm arrived. "I ran and got pillows to put over our heads and ... all hell broke loose."
Speaking to The Associated Press, he added: "My parents' home, it's gone completely."
President Barack Obama expressed his condolences to victims and pledged the federal government's help.
"The country will be there to help you recover and rebuild as long as it takes," Obama said while visiting the Philippines.
“This is a multi-day severe thunderstorm and tornado outbreak”
Forecasters warned of severe thunderstorms threatening several states on Monday, from Iowa to Louisiana and Ohio down into the Carolinas.
“The worst is not over,” said Kevin Roth, lead meteorologist for The Weather Channel. “This is a multi-day severe thunderstorm and tornado outbreak.”
The tornado threat for Monday appeared to be largest across Mississippi, northwest Alabama and the western half of Tennessee, according to Roth.
“That doesn’t mean it won’t happen anywhere else,” he warned.
Several counties in Arkansas had been declared natural disasters. In addition to the 10 deaths in Faulkner County, five were confirmed in Pulaski County and one in White County.
Governor Mike Beebe was expected to visit some of the hardest-hit areas on Monday, and Entergy Arkansas reported that nearly 20,000 customers were without power at 6 a.m. ET.
One tornado took a deadly turn in Quapaw, a community of about 900 residents in northeastern Oklahoma near its border with Kansas and Missouri. Ottawa County sheriff's dispatcher Kelli Soechs said it killed one person and the county’s Emergency Management director Joe Dan Morgan said Quapaw suffered heavy damage.
The storm system then moved on to Arkansas, raining down golf-ball-sized hail and tearing a path of widespread destruction.
In Pulaski County, three of the victims were in one home about 10 miles west of Little Rock, according to the County Sheriff's Lt. Carl Minden said.
"I'm standing on the foundation of the house now. It's totally gone," Minden told The Associated Press by phone, adding that there were several other people injured at the scene.
The Red Cross in Arkansas was operating two shelters early Monday and supporting four additional shelters with blankets, food and supplies.
Teams were also coming in to assist from Texas and Oklahoma, according to the Red Cross’ Brigette Williams.
Authorities in the southeast Kansas town of Baxter Springs said several people were injured by a tornado that also caused extensive property damage.
Jason Allison, Cherokee County's emergency manager, said the tornado was estimated to be about three blocks wide and running southwest to northeast of Baxter Springs. Around 70 homes and up to 25 businesses were reportedly destroyed.
Officials in Iowa said at least one person there was killed by a tornado on Sunday. John Benson with Iowa Emergency Management confirmed the death in Keokuk County and said two people also were injured.
The Weather Channel's Bill Karins and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
First published April 28 2014, 2:16 AM
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