Authorities claimed at least five people were killed and five more were injured after a tornado struck the US state of Missouri.
Glen Allen, about 100 miles south of St. Louis, was hit directly by what Doppler radar suggested was an EF-2 or EF-3 tornado at about 3.45 a.m. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Storm Prediction Centre said Wednesday, according to Xinhua.
According to Missouri state emergency management officials, there is a massive debris field and severe damage.
According to USA Today, the Missouri Highway Patrol tweeted that they were aiding organisations in Bollinger County with search and recovery efforts near Glen Allen.
Authorities said that twelve structures were destroyed and dozens more were damaged.
“The damage is pretty widespread. It’s just heartbreaking to see it,” USA Today quoted Sgt. Clark Parrott of the Missouri Highway Patrol as saying.
He also stated that employees had to use chainsaws to clear trees and bushes in order to reach residences.
Missouri Governor Michael Parson visited the storm damage region and claimed President Joseph Biden phoned to assure him of government assistance.
According to AccuWeather meteorologists, severe weather and tornado threats are heading east.
Severe thunderstorms could hit a swath of the country from Louisiana to western New York.
On Wednesday, dangerous winds and heavy thunderstorms were possible in at least ten states, including Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri.
More than 45 million people in the United States were under tornado, severe thunderstorm, or wind watch advisories.
On Wednesday morning, inclement weather caused delays at the Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, as well as Chicago’s O’Hare and Midway airports.
The new round of catastrophic weather comes less than a week after scores of tornadoes ripped across the Midwest and South, killing over 30 people and destroying thousands of homes and businesses.
At least 63 individuals have been killed in strong storms this early in the season.
