In the southern United States, severe hurricanes have claimed at least 14 lives. The states of Texas, Arkansas and Oklahoma were particularly affected. Just a week ago, five people died in Iowa as a result of tornadoes.
Violent hurricanes left a trail of destruction across the southern United States over the weekend, killing at least 14 people. Seven people were killed in Cooke County, Texas, alone, the local sheriff, Ray Sappington, told the AP news agency. Among them were two children, aged two and five.
Another five deaths were reported in Arkansas and two in Oklahoma. The storms in the region began on Saturday evening. At least one tornado formed and caused mobile homes and semi-trailers to overturn in Texas, according to local authorities. Hundreds of thousands of households in the region were without power at least temporarily, and highways were closed.
Dozens fled to Rest area toilet
In many cases, the extent of the destruction only became apparent at daybreak on Sunday morning. “There is only a swath of rubble left,” said Sheriff Sappington about the situation in Cooke County on the border with Oklahoma.
Emergency services are still busy with search and rescue operations, said a spokeswoman for Benton County in Arkansas. Dozens of people waited in a rest stop toilet at a truck parking lot near the particularly hard-hit town of Valley View in Texas until the storm was over.
Hugo Parra, one of them, said that 40 or 50 people were there with him to watch as the storm blew away the roof and walls. Metal bars were bent and cars in the parking lot were destroyed. Several people were injured.
Just a few days ago, five people were killed by tornadoes in Iowa. In southern Texas, people also suffered record heat over the weekend. Experts blame climate change for the fact that storms are becoming increasingly extreme around the world.