Tornadoes kill at least 12 people in America’s Deep South
At least a dozen people have died and hundreds of homes are damaged after tornadoes ripped through the Deep South of the US.
Louisiana, Texas and Mississippi were all battered by strong winds on Easter Sunday and hundreds of thousands of households across 10 states have been left without power.
Trees were brought down and streets flooded in Alabama, Tennessee and Georgia, and much of the region remains under flash flood, thunderstorm and tornado warnings.
Among the states badly hit have been Mississippi, where at least six people have been killed, and Louisiana, where up to 300 homes and other buildings are seriously damaged.
Officials said a married couple were among the dead in Mississippi.
Another six people have died in Georgia, with one of the victims having been inside their Cartersville home when a tree hit the property.
Mississippi governor Tate Reeves has declared a state of emergency.
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He tweeted: “This is not how anyone wants to celebrate Easter. As we reflect on the death and resurrection on this Easter Sunday, we have faith that we will all rise together.”
The National Weather Service reported tornadoes in northern Louisiana before they arrived in Mississippi, and later warned that one had been spotted in the city of Meridian near the Alabama state line.
No tornadoes have crossed into Alabama so far, but lightning in the state’s northern Morgan County caused serious damage to a church roof.
Many people are taking cover in their basements and officials are working to open shelters for those who have had to leave their home.
Shelters are also being set up in the mountains of North Carolina, where five inches of rain fell in just a few hours.
Dozens of people have already been taken to hospital and more thunderstorms were forecast for Monday – potentially bringing more tornadoes, strong winds and hail to some southeastern and mid-Atlantic states.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has had the coronavirus pandemic at the forefront of his mind but urged residents in the western region of the state to take precautions.
He warned the storm could cause flooding and power failures in the state.
