So far, seven fatalities have been confirmed and dozens of people have been injured. The storm system stretched from the southern United States to the Great Lakes region in the north. According to the weather service, the states of Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Wisconsin, Mississippi and Tennessee were particularly affected. Around half a million households were without electricity, at least temporarily.
Roof collapse during concert
In the small town of Belvidere, Illinois, the roof of a theater partially collapsed during a severe storm during a concert. At least one person was killed, according to the media. Fire chief Shawn Schadle said five people were taken to the hospital with serious injuries, 18 with moderate injuries and five with minor injuries.
At the time of the collapse, a storm was raging with gusts of up to 145 kilometers per hour. According to authorities, 260 people were in the theater at the time the roof collapsed. Dozens of ambulances were deployed.
The concert was sold out, it said. Death metal bands Morbid Angel, Revocation and Skeletal Remains were on the program at the Apollo Theater. Morbid Angel shared on Facebook that the concert was canceled “due to a tornado that hit the venue”. Belvidere has around 25,000 residents and is a good 100 kilometers from Chicago.
Trail of Devastation in Little Rock
Hours earlier, a tornado had hit the town of Little Rock and surrounding area, Arkansas. Images from local television stations showed uprooted trees, overturned vehicles and torn roofs. There was one dead, the media reported, citing the authorities. At least 50 people have been taken to hospitals, a spokeswoman for Pulaski County told CNN.
Two more fatalities were reported from the village of Wynne, around 150 kilometers away. Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders declared a state of emergency and mobilized 100 National Guardsmen to help with rescue and clean-up efforts. “There has been significant damage in central Arkansas,” Huckabee Sanders wrote on Twitter.
“It hit us hard”
Two people were also killed in a violent storm in Sullivan County, Indiana, police said. Several homes and the volunteer fire department building were damaged, police spokesman Matt Ames told CNN. “It hit us hard,” said emergency services coordinator Jim Pirtle.
Bidens visited affected states
A tornado killed at least 26 people in the states of Mississippi and Alabama just a week ago. On Friday, US President Joe Biden and his wife Jill visited the small town of Rolling Fork, Mississippi, which had been particularly hard hit by the storm.
Deaths after storms in the USA
Several people have died in severe storms in the United States. A tornado killed at least three people in the south of the country.
During the visit, the Bidens got a picture of the destruction in the community of 2,000 residents and met with the city’s mayor and those affected, among others. “You are not alone,” Biden said amid the rubble of destroyed homes and uprooted trees.
“The American people will stand by you. It will help you get through here – and so will I,” the President said. He announced the opening of a local disaster center for Monday, where affected residents could seek help.
