Cross-country storm leaves at least 42 dead and vast destruction from tornadoes, wildfires and dust storms
By Hanna Park, Robert Shackelford, Rafael Romo and Mary Gilbert, CNN
(CNN) — A powerful storm system that tore across the United States in recent days is winding down Monday, but in its wake are devastated communities across states hit with violent tornadoes, wildfires and dust storms spun off by the massive system.
At least 42 people died in storm-related incidents in eight states, according to officials. Missouri has the most deaths with 12, followed by Kansas with eight. Most of Alabama was severely impacted, and at least three died in the state.
“Disaster,” one Alabama resident told CNN, when asked to describe the scene. “I’ve seen nothing like this since I was a kid.”
Recent layoffs at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, coupled with potential cuts and drastic changes to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, have sparked widespread concern about the nation’s ability to respond to severe weather and natural disasters.
The remainder of the rain and storms from the system exited the mid-Atlantic early Monday but wet weather will linger in the Northeast into the evening.
Trail of destruction
The storm unleashed a deadly wave of tornadoes across the Central and Southern US starting Friday. There have been around 80 tornado reports, with dozens confirmed. Storm surveys will happen over the next few days to get a final tornado count.
The National Weather Service said two EF4 tornadoes tore through Arkansas on Friday, marking the first time in over 25 years the state has experienced multiple EF4 tornadoes in a single day.
One EF4 tornado, with winds peaking at 170 mph, struck near Larkin in northern Arkansas, while another devastated the town of Diaz with an estimated 190 mph winds, according to the weather service.
Tornadoes of EF4 strength are labelled as “violent” and can be devastating, easily destroying homes, tossing cars and downing large trees.
At least three people have died in connection with the storms in Arkansas.
In Alabama, three deaths were confirmed in Plantersville, Dallas County, and Winterboro, in Talladega County, as damage assessments continued across more than half of the state’s counties, Gov. Kay Ivey said.
“Yesterday’s severe weather impacted most of Alabama,” Ivey said in a statement, offering condolences to the affected communities.
High winds worsened the devastation, with over 710 windstorm reports filed across central and eastern states. The storms and punishing winds knocked out power for hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses over the weekend, according to PowerOutage.us.
Winds topping 80 mph whipped across the Plains on Friday. Four people in Texas were killed in car crashes attributed to dust storms. At least eight people died in a 50-vehicle crash caused by a severe dust storm in Kansas on Friday afternoon.
Powerful winds also turned deadly in North Carolina early Sunday morning. Two children in Brevard, about 30 miles south of Asheville, were killed in their home after a tree fell onto their bedroom, fire officials said.
Fire threat remains
While parts of the South and East start to clean up and survey the damage from the storm, Plains states are contending with renewed fire weather risks after deadly wildfires broke out over the weekend.
A level 2 of 3 risk of fire weather is in place Monday for parts of the Plains and the Rockies, according to the Storm Prediction Center. Dry air, parched soils and the return of gusty winds will increase the risk of wildfire spread in these areas.
But the danger ramps up to a level 3 of 3 risk on Tuesday for parts of Texas and New Mexico, where vegetation is primed for ignition and spread, and wind gusts up to 60 mph could turn any spark into an all-out blaze.
More than 20 million people from Texas to South Dakota and Iowa are under red flag warnings for hazardous fire weather conditions early this week.
In Oklahoma, more than 130 wildfires fueled by high winds from the storm system damaged more than 400 homes and killed four people in separate counties in recent days, according to Keli Cain, a spokesperson for the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management.
Among the victims was Allen Ferguson, a youth wrestling coach in Lincoln County who died after suffering severe burns Friday. His son was also critically injured, a family GoFundMe page said.
‘I’ve seen nothing like this’
Cleanup efforts began Sunday in Alpine, in Alabama’s Talladega County, where volunteers from Revive Church were left stunned by the destruction in the storm’s wake.
“Disaster,” said James Stewart, 39, when asked to describe the scene.
“I’ve seen nothing like this since I was a kid,” he told CNN as he raked leaves and debris into piles at the cemetery of Winterboro Community Church. “I’ve seen a few tornadoes in my lifetime, a couple of hurricanes. But other than that, this is pretty bad.”
Across the street, the gymnasium of a school lay in ruins, its roof and front wall torn away, leaving the interior exposed. Outside, a school bus lay on its side, hurled against the building by the storm, with yellow caution tape keeping onlookers at a distance.
The area was strewn with debris: twisted metal, splintered wood and insulation. Nearby, a partially split tree leaned precariously over gravestones at the edge of a cemetery.
Brandon Chittam, another volunteer, estimated about two dozen people were helping with the cleanup.
“It’s a wreck, but it’s coming together real quick,” he said. “It’s a blessing to have people with God in their life that would reunite together — and not even know one another — to help with the effort of cleaning up.”
“It could have been a lot worse,” said Charles Kelly, pastor of Alpine’s Winterboro Community Church, as he stood in front of his church surveying the damage.
Despite the destruction, Kelly voiced hope in the resilience of his community.
“You’re going to see people at their best in the days ahead, because there’s a lot of things that were lost and damage to some stuff that people care a little bit about, but they’re going to see the best in the most important thing, which is people,” he said.
Amid the wreckage, 16-year-old Trenton Garrett was directing traffic around the damaged school buildings. A junior at the adjacent high school and a member of the volunteer fire department, Garrett said he wanted to serve his community.
“Most people at this age really don’t want to get involved, but I love getting involved in my community,” Garrett said. “These folks don’t have to listen to me, but they are listening.”
Changes to NOAA and FEMA raise alarm over preparedness
The Trump administration and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency have been fixated on reforming or eliminating FEMA, arguing it’s ineffective and inefficient. While touring hurricane damage in North Carolina in January, President Donald Trump even suggested he may eliminate FEMA entirely and instead send money directly to states to manage their own disaster relief efforts.
At NOAA, as many as 800 employees have been terminated, sources previously told CNN, raising fears about the agency’s capacity to deliver critical weather alerts and forecasts ahead of tornado and hurricane seasons. Most divisions of the agency, which employs scientists and specialists in weather, oceans, biodiversity, climate and other research and planetary monitoring fields, were affected.
Experts and lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have raised concerns about how the changes may impair storm readiness and recovery.
On Sunday, Trump said his administration is ready to assist in the aftermath of the last few days’ devastating tornadoes and severe storms.
“We are actively monitoring the severe tornadoes and storms that have impacted many States across the South and Midwest,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. “The National Guard have been deployed to Arkansas, and my Administration is ready to assist State and Local Officials, as they help their communities to try and recover from the damage,” he added.
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CNN’s Holly Yan, Alejandra Jaramillo, Michelle Watson, Sarah Dewberry and Luis Rodriguez contributed to this report.
