Four dead after 43 tornadoes carve deadly path through the Midwest

At least four dead after 43 tornadoes carve deadly path through the Midwest: Theatre roof collapses in Illinois killing one and injuring 28 while Arkansas trauma center is put on mass casualty alert

• One person is dead after the roof of an Illinois theatre caved in during a heavy metal concert on Friday night 
• Some 43 tornadoes tore through six Midwestern states on Friday, according to preliminary estimates
• Three were confirmed dead in Arkansas, bringing total death toll to four 

A violent tornado brought down the roof of an Illinois theatre during a heavy metal concert on Friday night, killing one and hospitalizing 28 more after a series of violent twisters tore through the US.

The Midwest is waking up to devastation this morning inflicted by around 43 tornadoes across six states, according to preliminary reports from the Storm Prediction Center. 

As of Friday evening, three people were confirmed dead in Arkansas, bringing the death toll to four, while hundreds more were injured.

The storm is expected to move east this weekend, with a tornado watch issued for parts of Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio.  

It comes after the only major trauma center in Arkansas – the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences hospital – declared a level-1 mass casualty alert after a tornado struck Little Rock early Friday.

Authorities work the scene at the Apollo Theatre in Belvidere, Illinois,  after a severe spring storm caused damage and injuries during a concert

Fire chief Shawn Schadle told reporters 28 people were taken to hospital with five in a serious condition

Dramatic scenes saw cars flipped over, roofs smashed and trees toppled across the South and Midwest while tens of thousands were left without power in Arkansas and Missouri. 

The Apollo Theatre in Belvidere, Illinois, saw its roof cave in at around 7.55pm local time when 260 people were inside. The concert-goers had gathered to see the heavy metal band Morbid Angel.

Fire chief Shawn Schadle told reporters 28 people were taken to hospital with five in serious condition.

One witness uploaded a video of the disturbing aftermath on Facebook.

‘I was one of the first ones on the scene and I just started praying & crying,’ Johnny Garner wrote on Facebook. 

‘So many people being carried away it didn’t look real.’

In Covington, Tennessee, five people were being treated in hospital after it was also hit by a twister. 

Homes in West Little Rock suffered major damage after being pummeled by the tornado

Little remains of the neighborhood after powerful storm left a trail of destruction

Entire neighborhoods were flattened by the destructive storms

The Covington Police Department shared photos of roads blocked by downed power poles and trees toppled in front of homes.

The force said the city was ‘impassable’ and urged residents to stay off the roads due to hazards and to allow emergency crews to pass through to critical areas.  

Earlier in the night several flights at Chicago O’Hare International Airport were also delayed or cancelled as passengers were told to take shelter due to what it described as ‘severe weather.’

Preliminary reports estimate that 16 tornadoes occurred in Illinois, 12 in Arkansas, eight in Iowa, three in Wisconsin, two in Mississippi and two in Tennessee. 

The Midwest can expect a little reprieve this weekend as the storms appear to be moving east, according to reports by the Weather Channel.

The service said thunderstorms would be the main concern on Saturday but ‘a tornado or two cannot be ruled out in the Southeast.’

A monster tornado has ripped apart Arkansas capital Little Rock  just a week after more than two dozen deadly twisters tore through Mississippi and parts of Alabama killing at least 26

A second tornado was spotted forming in Des Moines, Iowa

The twisters have splintered homes and flattened entire neighborhoods, overturned vehicles and tossed trees and debris onto roads as people raced for shelter. 

Roofs and walls were ripped away from many buildings, while trees were uprooted, and vehicles flipped over. 

‘We’re operating in red status, with all hands on deck,’ said Aaron Gilkey, spokesperson for the Metropolitan Emergency Medical Services (MEMS) agency. 

Another video in the wake of the massive system revealed debris scattered in the streets of Little Rock, which is just three-hours north west of Rolling Fork, where deadly storms hit last week.

A home is damaged and trees are down after a tornado swept through Little Rock

The entire side of a law office buildings appears stripped away as tornadoes struck Little Rock

The entire side of the building simply peeled away as the tornado tore through

Aerial footage posted by The Weather Channel showed a heavily damaged area of the city spanning several blocks with numerous homes missing roofs and walls, some of them collapsed, and overturned vehicles littering streets.

The National Weather Service also reported that tornado activity had destroyed several homes and downed trees in and around Little Rock.

Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr. said on Twitter that he had asked Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders to mobilize National Guard troops to assist in the emergency response.

Sanders signed an executive order to immediately authorize $250,000 from the state disaster response and recovery fund to be used at the discretion of the director of the state Division of Emergency Management, a local reporter tweeted.

‘At this time, we know of 24 people who have been hospitalized at Little Rock hospitals and we are not aware of any fatalities in Little Rock,’ Mayor Frank Scott Jr. said on Twitter.

In North Little Rock, even sturdier brick buildings caved in on themselves

Shrubs are covered in debris after the destructive tornadoes

Separately, Baptist Health Medical Center in the adjoining town of North Little Rock, just across the Arkansas River from the capital, reported treating 11 patients from the storm, one of them in critical condition. 

Local television station KTHV-TV reported one storm-related death in North Little Rock, but that could not be immediately confirmed.

According to the Metropolitan Emergency Medical Services at least 600 people were injured in the Arkansas area alone as of Friday afternoon. Meanwhile, a second tornado was spotted forming in Des Moines.

The destructive weather continued for hundreds of miles. In the tiny town of Wynne, 100 miles east of Little Rock, the police chief described it as ‘dozens’ being trapped with ‘total destruction all over town.

‘The town was basically cut in half by damage from east to west,’ Wynne Mayor Jennifer Hobbs told CNN on Friday evening. ‘We are still in triage mode.’ 

The destructive weather continued for hundreds of miles. In the tiny town of Wynne, 100 miles east of Little Rock, the police chief described it as ‘dozens’ being trapped with ‘total destruction all over town

The tornado wreaked destruction on buildings across the Little Rock area

Homes had the tiles from their roof blown off 

Telegraph poles and powerlines came down under the destructive power of the tornado

Debris littered the streets of the Arkansas capital following the storms on Friday afternoon 

One television news  crew in Little Rock saw trees uprooted by the strong winds

Trees that had stood for generations were felled by Friday’s storm

Roads became blocked after branches from trees blocked the area

Branches are seen strewn all over the place, while part of the wall from a home came away

Emergency services were quickly on scene. It is hard to know where to begin

Downed powerlines and trees led to roads quickly becoming blocked

More than 350,000 people were at risk as what the National Weather Service called a ‘confirmed large and destructive tornado’ tore through business districts and neighborhoods in Little Rock and North Little Rock.

The Little Rock tornado tore first through neighborhoods in the western part of the city and shredded a small shopping center that included a Kroger grocery store. It then crossed the Arkansas River into North Little Rock and surrounding cities, where widespread damage was reported to homes, businesses and vehicles.

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Medical Center in Little Rock was operating at a mass casualty level, spokesperson Leslie Taylor said. Several people had already been transported to the medical center, but an exact count was not immediately available.

Mark Hulsey, a special projects manager for Pulaski County, which includes Little Rock, said at least one person was in critical condition.

 Resident Niki Scott took cover in the bathroom after her husband called to say a tornado was headed her way. She could hear glass shattering as the tornado roared past, and emerged afterward to find that her house was one of the few on her street that didn’t have a tree fall on it.

‘It’s just like everyone says. It got really quiet, then it got really loud,’ Scott said afterward, as chainsaws roared and sirens blared in the area.

The Little Rock Fire Department reported heavy damage and debris in western Little Rock and said firefighters had carried out rescue operations in the area.

Residents could be seen dealing with the aftermath on Friday afternoon 

A front lawn was covered in debris after the storms tore threw the area

Windows appears to be smashed while slates had been blown clean off rooftops

Wooden panels had been blown from the side of homes with several smashed widows

There were few places that didn’t have any debris littered about the grounds

The entire side of one home appeared to have completely fallen away

Powerlines and trees came down across the area as the storms left a trail of destruction

A person walks on the roof of a building damaged in a storm after a tornado warning in Johnson County, in Hills, Iowa

Storm damage is seen at a Casey’s gas station after a tornado warning in Hills, Iowa

A twisted pile of wreckage sits beside the roadside in Little Rock, Arkansas on Friday afternoon

The Little Rock tornado tore first through neighborhoods in the western part of the city

Trees are down after a tornado swept through Little Rock

A firefighter is seen assisting with the recovering operation on Friday

All was calm after the storms passed through – with the cleanup now set to begin

Nearly 89,000 customers in Arkansas lost power, according to poweroutage.us, which tracks outages, after trees brought powerlines came down 

Trees are seen strewn across the area after the storms tore through

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders declared a state of emergency and said there was ‘significant damage’ in the central part of the state.

‘Praying for all those who were and remain in the path of this storm,’ she tweeted. ‘Arkansans must continue to stay weather aware as storms are continuing to move through.’

Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr. announced that he was requesting assistance from the National Guard.

‘Please stay off the roads and away from the affected areas to allow emergency responders to work,’ Scott tweeted.

The Little Rock Fire Department reported heavy damage and debris in the western end of the city. 

Firefighters were performing rescue operations in the area, the department said on its Facebook page. Other details were not immediately available.

Passengers and airport employees at Clinton National Airport in Little Rock took shelter in bathrooms and were ordered to stay there until 3:45pm. 

Aerial footage showed several rooftops were torn from homes in Little Rock and nearby Benton. There were no immediate reports of injuries.

In Iowa City, the University of Iowa canceled Friday’s watch party for fans who planned to gather for the women’s basketball Final Four game against South Carolina. Deputy Director of Athletics Matt Henderson said in a statement the decision was made ‘due to the unpredictable timing of possible severe weather and potential storm impact.’

The weather service is forecasting another batch of intense storms next Tuesday in the same general area as last week. 

The interior of store is damaged after a severe storm swept through Little Rock on Friday

A car was seen upturned in a Kroger parking lot after severe storm swept through Little Rock

Emergency personnel checked people in a parking lot after severe storm swept through

A building is damaged and trees are down after the severe storm

A building is damaged after a severe storm swept through Little Rock

Residents mill about after severe storm swept through Little Rock, Arkansas on Friday afternoon

Tornado warnings were issued to 21 states with nearly 90 million people on Friday – as forecasters said conditions could be similar to those which caused death and destruction across the south last week. 

An outbreak of severe thunderstorms also has the potential to cause hail and damaging wind gusts, according to the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center. 

The warnings come just a week after a series of devastating tornadoes tore through Mississippi and parts of Alabama. Those storms obliterated towns and one cut a deadly path across 170 miles, leaving at least 25 dead in the two states.

Gensini said Friday’s atmospheric setup is similar to the conditions that were present during Mississippi’s deadly storm.

‘There will be lots of thunderstorms… tornadoes, damaging winds, and large hail,’ he said.

People in areas under the latest warnings should stock emergency supplies, prepare for power outages, avoid getting stranded in places vulnerable to falling trees or severe hail, and park vehicles in garages if possible, meteorologists said.

The bad weather could also extend into Chicago, where forecasters warned of a ‘relatively rare, significant severe weather threat’ that includes powerful winds, tornadoes and large hail.

The hazardous forecast is a result of strong southerly winds transporting copious amounts of moisture from the Gulf of Mexico north, where they will interact with the strengthening storm system.

In South Dakota, Governor Kristi Noem ordered state executive branch offices to be closed on Friday in parts of the state, as freezing rain, snow and high winds were expected. Many counties were under blizzard or ice storm warnings.

Storm warnings are in place which cover around 21 states with 90 million people. A map from the NOAA shows a huge portion of the Midwest and south faces extreme weather on Friday

First lady Jill Biden and President Joe Biden offered their prayers and support for the small Mississippi town

Crowds gathered to listen as Biden spoke to residents in Rolling Fork where he’d traveled to survey the damage

Biden greeted local residents following the deadly weekend of tornadoes and storms, in Rolling Fork

Biden boarded Air Force One on Friday morning to visit Rolling Fork with the First Lady

The weather service is also forecasting a further batch of intense storms next Tuesday in the same general area as last week. At least the first 10 days of April will be rough, Accuweather meteorologist Brandon Buckingham said.

Last Friday night’s vicious tornado in Mississippi killed dozens of people, injured many more and flattened entire blocks as it carved a path of destruction for more than an hour.

About 2,000 homes were damaged or destroyed, according to the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency.

The toll was especially steep in western Mississippi’s Sharkey County, where 13 people were killed in a county of 3,700 residents. Winds of up to 200 mph (322 kph) barreled through the rural farming town of Rolling Fork, reducing homes to piles of rubble, flipping cars and toppling the town’s water tower.

Bill Bunting, the weather service’s Storm Prediction Center chief of forecasting operations, said people need to have a severe weather plan in place that includes multiple ways to receive storm warning information.

‘We’ve all seen the coverage of the heartbreaking situations in other parts of the country. Our fervent hope is that people pay attention to the forecasts that have been out for several days now regarding Friday’s threat,’ Bunting said.

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden traveled to Rolling Fork on Friday.

Biden is expected to announce that the federal government will cover the total cost of the Mississippi’s emergency measures for the next 30 days, including overtime for first responders and debris cleanup.

The president and first lady will survey the damage, meet with homeowners impacted by the storms and first responders and get an operational briefing from federal and state officials. 

They’re expected to be joined by Governor Tate Reeves, Mississippi Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith and Rep. Bennie Thompson.

In a statement after the tornado, Biden pledged that the federal government would ‘do everything we can to help’.

‘We will be there as long as it takes,’ he said. ‘We will work together to deliver the support you need to recover.’

Presidents regularly visit parts of the US that have been ravaged by natural disasters or suffered major loss of life from shootings or another disaster.

The warnings come just a week after a series of devastating tornadoes tore through Mississippi and parts of Alabama. Pictured: A pickup truck rests on top of a restaurant cooler at Chuck’s Dairy Cafe in Rolling Fork, Mississippi

A women sits among the rubble of a home as cleanup continues in the aftermath of Friday’s tornado in Rolling Fork

The severe weather event last week produced hail the size of golf balls as it swept through several southern states 

A rescuer is seen wading through the debris in Rolling Fork, Mississippi on March 25 after the rural town was battered by tornadoes which left 25 dead 

Women hug among the rubble of a home as cleanup continues in the aftermath of Friday’s tornado on March 28, 2023 in Rolling Fork

A woman walks near an uprooted tree, a flipped vehicle and debris from homes damaged by a tornado, Monday, March 27, 2023, in Rolling Fork

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