Houses destroyed, trees uprooted, vehicles overturned ... Tornadoes left at least 32 dead Sunday and Monday in the southern United States. The storms devastated an area from Texas to South Carolina. "There have been at least 11 confirmed deaths and extensive property damage across the state," the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency said on Monday.
Other deaths have been recorded, including nine in South Carolina, seven in Georgia, three in Tennessee, one in Arkansas and one in North Carolina, according to American media. President Donald Trump, before starting his daily White House press conference on the coronavirus, extended his "sincere condolences" to the families of the victims. "My administration will do everything possible to help these communities recover," he said, referring to "the horrific and destructive power of tornadoes".
1.3 million people without electricity
More than 1.3 million people were left without electricity, according to the site poweroutage.us. In the states of Mississippi and Louisiana, the governors have declared a state of emergency. A decision made "to protect the health and safety of residents," tweeted Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves, assuring residents that they were "not alone." "We are mobilizing all available resources to protect our people and their property," he said.
The United States National Weather Service issued a tornado emergency, its highest level of alert. He noted damage caused by winds estimated at up to 235 km / h.
In the afternoon, the governor had repeated the warnings of the meteorologists while asking the inhabitants to respect the instructions for protection against the new coronavirus if they had to go to shelter in a public refuge planned in the event of a meteorological disaster. .
"The damage is disastrous and it's a good reminder that everyone has to be very careful with the weather," said John Bel Edwards, governor of Louisiana.