The death toll from storms and tornadoes in the US rises to 32

A series of states in the south and the central-north of the United States were evaluating on Monday the damage caused by a series of storms and tornadoes over the weekend that left at least 32 dead and great desolation in their wake.

Tornadoes in 11 states destroyed homes and businesses, downed trees and leveled entire neighborhoods from Arkansas to Illinois.

The latest news on Sunday confirmed that a tornado caused damage near Bridgeville, Delaware, where a person was found dead inside a home badly damaged by the storm the night before, state police said.

Storms made their way through the Arkansas capital on Friday, also causing it to collapse from the roof of a packed concert hall in Illinois, shocking people across the region at the scale of the devastation.

There were confirmed deaths in a wide swath of states, with multiple fatalities reported in Arkansas, Indiana and Tennessee, and the number continued to rise on Sunday.

“While we continue to assess the extent of the damage, we know there are families across the country mourning the death of loved ones, desperately waiting to hear from others fighting for their lives, and walking through the rubble of their homes. or jobs,” President Joe Biden said in a statement.

The president had previously declared disaster zones in various parts of the country, making available federal resources and financial aid for recovery.

Also, the governors of Indiana, Iowa, Illinois and Arkansas announced their own declarations of emergency or disaster in their states to release immediate assistance funds for the affected areas.

It could take several days to confirm all of the recent tornadoes. Chainsaws and bulldozers could already be heard amidst the rubble in many communities, as utility crews restored power and some neighborhoods began their recovery.

[With information from AP]