Taylor Swift has donated $1 million to help Tennessee residents affected by this weekend’s deadly tornadoes.
On Saturday, tornadoes tore through central Tennessee, killing six people and injuring dozens more. The severe storms caused widespread damage to homes and businesses in multiple cities throughout the state, including Nashville, and left thousands without power.
The superstar singer-songwriter made the sizable donation to the Tennessee Emergency Response Fund at the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, the organization’s CEO Hal Cato confirmed in a statement to CBS News.
Swift was born in Reading, Pennsylvania, but moved to Hendersonville, a suburb of Nashville, as a teenager to pursue her country music career.
“The Swifts found their original Tennessee home nearly 20 years ago in Hendersonville and Sumner County, one of the areas hardest hit by this tornado,” Cato said. “Taylor’s generosity has put a new spotlight on the devastation as well as the urgent need for help. It has also served as a powerful message to every survivor that she deeply cares about their recovery.”
Donations to the fund help provide short-term help like financial assistance to tornado survivors, as well as food, temporary housing, and debris clean-up, according to the foundation. Any remaining money go towards long-term recovery needs, including counseling, FEMA registration guidance and rebuilding of homes.
In October, Swift achieved billionaire status, according to Bloomberg. It followed the release of a re-recording of her “1989” album, as well as the success of the concert movie of her Eras Tour, which is the first tour ever to gross $1 billion, according to Pollstar.
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Deadly tornadoes ripped through Tennessee on Saturday, claiming the lives of six people, including two children, and injuring more than 50 others, according to preliminary reports.
Severe weather pummeled west and middle Tennessee with 13 tornadoes reported in the state, including two deadly storms that caused widespread damage and thousands of power outages, according to The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency.
One deadly tornado in Clarksville tore through hundreds of structures, leaving at least three people dead and causing numerous injuries in its wake. Roughly 50 miles away in the Nashville suburb of Madison, another powerful storm also killed at least three people when a mobile home was tossed and landed on top of a neighboring one.
Residents and visitors work to clear debris in search of pets and belongings of a destroyed home in the aftermath of a tornado that ripped through in Clarksville, Tennessee, on December 9, 2023. Jon Cherry/Getty
Clarksville
The tornado that devastated Clarksville was rated EF3 intensity with peak winds of 150 mph and traveled about an 11-mile path and, according to a Sunday storm survey by the Nashville office of the National Weather Service (NWS).
Officials confirmed three deaths in the area and said 62 people were being treated for injuries at local hospitals. Details about the Clarksville victims were not released at the time of publication.
A destroyed home is pictured in the wake of a deadly tornado that ripped through Clarksville, Tennessee, on December 9, 2023. Jon Cherry/Getty
The Montgomery County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) released a preliminary damage report for Clarksville on Sunday, stating that 65 structures have minor damage, 339 have moderate damage, and 271 have major damage “making them uninhabitable. “
“There are 91 structures that are totally destroyed based on the latest assessment from EMA,” the agency reported. “The vast majority of these structures are residential dwellings. Numbers continue to be gathered.”
Homes were destroyed by a deadly EF3 tornado on December 9, 2023, in Clarksville, Tennessee. Clarksville Fire Rescue
Search and rescue efforts in Montgomery County city were completed on Sunday evening, according to a statement by the Clarksville Police Department (CPD) sharing volunteer information.
“The recovery phase is underway,” CPD said. “We appreciate your willingness to volunteer as we help our neighbors through this traumatic and historic event.”
There will be a coordinated volunteer cleanup effort in areas with extensive tornado damage on Monday at 8 a.m., Clarksville officials said, adding that volunteers are asked to gather at Mosaic Church located at 1020 Garrettsburg Road, according to the CPD.
Newsweek reached out via email and social media on Sunday to the CPD for comment and update.
Crews assess and search the rubble left by the deadly EF3 tornado that ravaged Clarksville, Tennessee, killing at least three people. Clarksville Fire Rescue
Madison
The tornado that ravaged Madison was rated EF2 intensity with peak winds of 125 mph, according to the NWS.
In the city north of Nashville, a tornado killed 37-year-old Joseph Dalton, 31-year-old Floridema Gabriel Pérez and her 2-year-old son, Anthony Elmer Mendez, according to the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department (MNPD).
Dalton was inside his mobile home when the storm launched it on top of Pérez’s residence, police said, adding that two other children were taken to a hospital with injuries.
In an aerial view, a mobile home park where three people perished is pictured in the aftermath of a tornado on December 9, 2023 in Madison, Tennessee. Jon Cherry/Getty
As of Sunday, dozens of people were injured in the Nashville area, city officials said. A church north of downtown collapsed during the storm, resulting in 13 people being hospitalized, the Nashville Office of Emergency Management said in a statement. Those injured at the church were later listed in stable condition.
A single standing wall of the nave of Sabbath Day Church of God in Christ is seen in the aftermath of a tornado in Madison, Tennessee. Multiple long-track tornadoes were reported in northwest Tennessee on December 9, causing multiple deaths and injuries and widespread damage. Jon Cherry/Getty
Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell said during a press conference that more than 20 structures had collapsed in the area as a result of Saturday’s storm and that “countless others have sustained significant damage.”
Additional information about injuries and structural damage was not available at the time of publication.
Newsweek reached out via email on Sunday to the MNPD for comment and update.
Ronald Harris searches the office of Sabbath Day Church of God in Christ in the aftermath of a tornado on December 10, 2023, in Madison, Tennessee. Jon Cherry/Getty
Nashville Electric Service executive Teresa Broyles-Aplin told the Associated Press that electric substations in north Nashville and in nearby Hendersonville suffered significant damage and that outages could last days for some residents.
Broyles-Aplin said it was possible that the viral video showing a massive fireball during the storm on Saturday could have been caused by Nashville Electric equipment.
“That gives you a good idea of the extent of damage that we’re dealing with at some of these substations,” she told the AP.
A destroyed home is seen in the aftermath of a tornado on December 10, 2023, in Madison, Tennessee. Jon Cherry/Getty
A jaw-dropping aerial video shared by MNPD on X, formerly Twitter, shows buildings in Madison reduced to rubble.
“MNPD Aviation flew over the storm damage this morning in Madison,” the department posted on X. “This is above the scene on Nesbitt Lane where 3 people, including a child, were fatally injured. Be advised there are still several road closures in that area where downed power lines/poles are awaiting repair.”
MNPD Aviation flew over the storm damage this morning in Madison. This is above the scene on Nesbitt Lane where 3 people, including a child, were fatally injured. Be advised there are still several road closures in that area where downed power lines/poles are awaiting repair. pic.twitter.com/rnGhfStmZs
The New England area this week has faced torrential rain, flooding, sinkholes and a possible tornado — all as residents prepare for the impending arrival of Hurricane Lee.
Lee, now a Category 2 storm, continued to creep up along the Northeast coast on Thursday, spawning a hurricane watch from Stonington, Maine to the U.S.-Canadian border. Areas including Block Island, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket are also under a tropical storm watch while a storm surge warning has been issued for Cape Cod Bay and Nantucket.
With wind speeds topping 100 mph, Hurricane Lee was churning some 265 miles southwest of Bermuda and about 795 miles south of Nantucket, according to the National Hurricane Center’s most recent update. It noted that “tropical storm conditions” are already impacting Bermuda while “dangerous surf and rip current conditions are affecting much of the east coast and the United States.”
Though the storm is expected to weaken as it trudges northward, forecasters warned that winds could begin to buffet New England as early as Friday. Lee’s center is expected to pass close to the region’s southeast before ripping across or near Maine, and then moving over Atlantic Canada over the weekend as a “large and dangerous cyclone,” according to the National Hurricane Center.
NOAA via AP
Hurricane Lee looks poised to wallop New England later this week even as the region still deals with the impact of days of wild weather that produced torrential rain, flooding, sinkholes and a likely tornado.
The hurricane’s arrival is only the latest weather woe for New England, where residents for the last two weeks have been drenched with rainfall levels more than 300% above normal, according to weather service data.
The National Weather Service in Boston said radar data and videos showed an apparent tornado roaring through Rhode Island and Connecticut on Wednesday. Just 24 hours earlier, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey issued a state of emergency following the “catastrophic flash flooding and property damage” across two counties and several nearby communities. It came as certain regions experienced 10 inches of rainfall — unrelated to the hurricane — over the course of just six hours. She added that the state’s emergency management agency is watching the weather as well as the conditions of dams.
In Leominster, Mass., the rainfall resulted in several sinkholes, including one at a car dealership that swallowed several vehicles. What’s more, the soggy soil paired with Lee’s raging winds will also increase the likelihood of downed trees, which in turn could knock out essential power lines.
With months to go before 2023 wraps up, the U.S. has set a new record for the number of weather disasters in a year that cost $1 billion or more.
There have been 23 climate catastrophes and weather events costing at least $1 billion as of the end of August, breaking the record of 22 set in 2020, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced Monday. This year’s disasters have so far cost more than $57.6 billion and killed 253 people.
And the number could climb higher. NOAA is still totaling the cost of Tropical Storm Hilary, which wreaked havoc across California last month, and a drought in the South and Midwest. There’s also an “above normal” forecast for this year’s hurricane season, which will continue through the end of November.
Some of the latest costly disasters include the firestorm in Hawaii, Hurricane Idalia and hail storms in Minnesota.
Last year, there were 18 climate extremes that caused at least $1 billion in damage each, totaling more than $165 billion.
Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell warned in August that the organization’s disaster fund could dry up within weeks and delay the federal response to natural disasters. President Biden asked Congress last month for $12 billion to replenish the disaster fund, but Criswell said on “Face the Nation” that $12 billion in extra funds may not be enough.
This year’s costliest weather event, adjusted for inflation, was in early March across parts of southern and eastern U.S. states, when severe storms, high winds and tornados caused an estimated $6.1 billion in damage as homes, vehicles, businesses and infrastructure were destroyed, according to NOAA. The recent wildfires on Maui, which decimated the town of Lahaina, caused around $5.5 billion in damage. California flooding, which lasted for months, caused an estimated $4.6 billion in damage.
The U.S. this year saw 23 weather disasters that cost $1 billion or more as of August 2023.
NOAA
The number and cost of disasters have increased over time, NOAA said. The increase has happened because of a combination of factors, including climate change, where and how we build, and the value of structures at risk of possible loss.
“Vulnerability is especially high where building codes are insufficient for reducing damage from extreme events,” NOAA says. “Climate change is also playing a role in the increasing frequency of some types of extreme weather that lead to billion-dollar disasters— most notably the rise in vulnerability to drought, lengthening wildfire seasons in the Western states, and the potential for extremely heavy rainfall becoming more common in the eastern states.”
Between 1980 to 2023, 61 tropical cyclones, 185 severe storms, 22 wildfires, 42 flooding events, 22 winter storms, 30 droughts and 9 freezes costing $1 billion or more impacted the U.S, according to NOAA. The total cost of those 371 events exceeds $2.615 trillion. There were an average of 18 events a year costing a billion dollars or more between 2018 and 2022.
The costliest year for weather disasters was 2017, with around $383.7 billion in damages, according to NOAA. The U.S. was rocked that year by hurricanes Harvey, Maria and Irma, totaling about $328.6 billion in damage. Western wildfires also cost around $22.5 billion.
NOAA began tracking billion-dollar disasters in 1980. In the years since, every state in the country has been impacted by at least one such weather event. Texas has been hit particularly hard— more than 100 billion-dollar weather events have affected at least part of the state. The Central, South and Southeast regions usually experience billion-dollar disasters at a higher frequency than other parts of the U.S.
A massive storm system wreaked havoc on the South and East Coast Monday night. Thousands were left without power, and at least two people were killed. Meg Oliver reports from Maryland.
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Every time I watch Twister, Jan de Bont’s 1996 film about a ragtag group of storm chasers trying to figure out how to better predict tornadoes, I think to myself: “Boy, do I wanna do that.”
The Anime Series With Better Metaverses Than Meta, AKA Facebook
Now, thanks to Twisted, a Roblox game in development from two storm superfans, I can do just that. And if you, like me, watch Twister at least once a year and find yourself longing to don a Hanes tank top and cargo pants that get progressively more filthy during a day of 200 mile-per-hour winds swirling around in a murder vortex and slinging mud at you, maybe you should check out Twisted, too.
Twisted 1.20 Thumbnail
“Throughout the rolling hills and prairies of the fictional state of Keysota, scientists and thrill seekers alike set out on the roads in chase of severe weather. Some will observe from a safe distance, while others will risk it all to get the perfect shot of a violent tornado from close range,” reads Twisted’s description on the official Roblox website.
Tornado chasing the video game
Players start by selecting a “blue blip” on the map of Keysota, which are areas of interest that could spawn a tornado. They then drop into the game, select a car for their storm-chasing efforts, and jump in the driver’s seat. From there, they’ll have to use the instruments available to them (which are based on actual meteorological tools like doppler radar and hodgraphs) to track down a twister and drive to intercept it.
The game, built by Willzuh and Siryzm in Roblox, is only in beta right now, but it’s got an active community of fans—as well as the attention of Reed Timmer, storm chasing’s resident bad boy. Timmer saw a screenshot from Twisted featuring side-by-side tornadoes and tweeted, “I may have to start playing video games today.” Twisted even includes Timmer’s iconic Dominator vehicle (a souped-up, armored car he’s been iterating on since 2009) as a vehicle option, so it’s clear the creators are fans of the self-proclaimed “extreme meteorologist.”
Twisted 1.20 dropped on July 25 with a massive update that includes a revamp of its impressively large map, object reactions to wind that increase in violence based on their vicinity to a tornado (like trees bending and street lights swaying), dynamic tornadoes that are more varied in shape and movement, and a smaller, “lite” version for those whose devices that can’t handle the larger game. Twisted’s extensive wind, damage, and debris systems make for a pretty intense game, which is why the game’s official page warns that the full-fat version “will NOT run well on low end devices.”
Kotaku reached out to Twisted’s devs to learn more about their process and what to expect for its future, but did not receive a response in time for publication.
As a Twister superfan and wannabe storm chaser, I am kicking myself that I don’t have a rig that can handle this beautiful behemoth. Guess I’ll be watching all the future Twisted streams and loudly shouting “Going green. Greenage!” alone in my apartment.
An important Pfizer pharmaceutical plant in North Carolina was severely damaged on Wednesday after a powerful tornado ripped through the area, threatening production lines that normally provide huge amounts of medicine to U.S. hospitals. Meanwhile, torrential rain flooded parts of Kentucky and communities from California to South Florida endured scorching heat that at times reached record-high temperatures.
Pfizer confirmed the large manufacturing complex was damaged by a twister that touched down shortly after midday near Rocky Mount, but said in an email that it had no reports of serious injuries. A later company statement said all employees were safely evacuated and accounted for.
Parts of roofs were ripped open at the Pfizer plant in Rocky Mount, which is a complex composed of several massive buildings. The plant stores large quantities of medicine that were tossed about, said Nash County Sheriff Keith Stone.
“I’ve got reports of 50,000 pallets of medicine that are strewn across the facility and damaged through the rain and the wind,” Stone said.
The plant produces anesthesia and other drugs as well as nearly 25% of all sterile injectable medications used in U.S. hospitals, Pfizer said on its website. Erin Fox, senior pharmacy director at University of Utah Health, said the damage “will likely lead to long-term shortages while Pfizer works to either move production to other sites or rebuilds.”
“We are assessing the situation to determine the impact on production. Our thoughts are with our colleagues, our patients, and the community as we rebuild from this weather incident,” Pfizer tweeted on Wednesday.
Debris is scattered around the Pfizer facility on Wednesday, July 19, 2023, in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, after damage from severe weather.
Travis Long/The News & Observer via AP
The National Weather Service said in a tweet that the damage in North Carolina was consistent with an EF3 tornado with wind speeds up to 150 mph.
The Edgecombe County Sheriff’s Office, where part of Rocky Mount is located, said on Facebook that they had reports of three people injured in the tornado, and that two of them had life-threatening injuries.
A preliminary report from neighboring Nash County said 13 people were injured and 89 structures were damaged, WRAL-TV reported.
Three homes owned by Brian Varnell and his family members in the nearby Dortches area were damaged. He told the news outlet he is thankful they are all alive. His sister and her children hid in their home’s laundry room.
“They got where they needed to be within the house and it all worked out for the best,” Varnell said near a home that was missing exterior walls and a large chunk of the roof.
Homes are damaged after severe weather passed the area on Wednesday, July 19, 2023, in Rocky Mount, North Carolina.
Forecasters said little relief appears in sight from the heat and storms. For example, Miami has endured a heat index of 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 degrees Celsius) or more for weeks, with temperatures expected to rise this weekend.
In Kentucky, meteorologists warned of a “life-threatening situation” in the communities of Mayfield and Wingo, which were inundated by flash flooding this week from thunderstorms. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear declared a state of emergency there Wednesday as more storms threatened.
Forecasters expect up to 10 inches of rain could yet fall on parts of Kentucky, Illinois and Missouri near where the Ohio and Mississippi rivers converge.
The storm system is forecast to move Thursday and Friday over New England, where the ground remains saturated after recent floods. In Connecticut, a mother and her 5-year-old daughter died after being swept down a swollen river Tuesday. In southeastern Pennsylvania, a search continued for two children caught in flash flooding Saturday night.
A parking lot is flooded after heavy rain passed the area on Wednesday, July 19, 2023 in Paducah, Kentucky.
Courtesy of Marilyn Gabel via AP
Meanwhile, Phoenix broke an all-time record Wednesday morning for a warm low temperature of 97 degrees Fahrenheit, raising the threat of heat-related illness for residents unable to cool off adequately overnight. The previous record was 96 degrees Fahrenheit in 2003, the weather service reported.
Lindsay LaMont, who works at the Sweet Republic ice cream shop in Phoenix, said business had been slow during the day with people sheltering inside to escape the heat. “But I’m definitely seeing a lot more people come in the evening to get their ice cream when things start cooling off,” LaMont said.
Heat-related deaths continue to rise in Maricopa County, where Phoenix is located. Public health officials Wednesday reported that six more heat-associated fatalities were confirmed last week, bringing the year’s total so far to 18. All six deaths didn’t necessarily occur last week as some may have happened weeks earlier but were confirmed as heat-related only after a thorough investigation.
By this time last year, there had been 29 confirmed heat-associated deaths in the county and another 193 were under investigation.
Phoenix, a desert city of more than 1.6 million people, set a separate record Tuesday among U.S. cities by marking 19 straight days of temperatures of 110 degrees Fahrenheit or more. It topped 110 degrees again Wednesday.
National Weather Service meteorologist Matthew Hirsh said Phoenix’s 119-degree high Wednesday tied the fourth-highest temperature recorded in the city ever. The highest temperature of all time was 122 degrees Fahrenheit, set in 1990. Thursday marked the tenth consecutive day where Phoenix saw daily low temperatures that were still above 90 degrees, officials said.
“Phoenix has now had 10 (consecutive) days with 90+ °F lows so far this year, which is above the annual average of 7 days. Low temperatures in the 90s remain in the forecast for Phoenix through at least the remainder of this week,” NWS Phoenix tweeted on Thursday morning.
Phoenix has now had 10 (consecutive) days with 90+ °F lows so far this year, which is above the annual average of 7 days. Low temperatures in the 90s remain in the forecast for Phoenix through at least the remainder of this week. #azwxpic.twitter.com/IEwRD9ZuhL
Across the country, Miami marked its 16th straight day of heat indexes in excess of 105 degrees. The previous record was five days in June 2019.
“And it’s only looking to increase as we head into the later part of the week and the weekend,” said Cameron Pine, a National Weather Service meteorologist.
The region has also seen 38 consecutive days with a heat index threshold of 100 degrees, and sea surface temperatures are reported to be several degrees warmer than normal.
“There really is no immediate relief in sight,” Pine said.
A 71-year-old Los Angeles-area man died at a trailhead in Death Valley National Park in eastern California on Tuesday afternoon as temperatures reached 121 degrees Fahrenheit or higher and rangers suspect heat was a factor, the National Park Service said in a statement Wednesday.
A sign stands warning hikers of extreme heat at the start of the Golden Canyon trail on July 11, 2023, in Death Valley National Park, Calif. A 71-year-old Los Angeles-area man died at the trailhead on Tuesday, July 18, as temperatures reached 121 degrees Fahrenheit or higher and rangers suspect heat was a factor, the National Park Service said in a statement Wednesday.
Ty ONeil / AP
It is possibly the second heat-related fatality in Death Valley this summer. A 65-year-old man was found dead in a car on July 3.
Human-caused climate change and a newly formed El Nino are combining to shatter heat records worldwide, scientists say.
The entire globe has simmered to record heat both in June and July. Nearly every day this month, the global average temperature has been warmer than the unofficial hottest day recorded before 2023, according to University of Maine’s Climate Reanalyzer.
Atmospheric scientists say the global warming responsible for unrelenting heat in the Southwest also is making extreme rainfall a more frequent reality.
One person was killed and several homes were damaged or destroyed as at least three tornadoes touched down in Indiana on Sunday. Several other states saw severe weather over the weekend, including Arkansas, where a mother and son were killed by a tree knocked down by high winds. CBS affiliate WTTV’s Max Lewis reports.
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At least four people were killed when a tornado tore through the North Texas town of Matador Wednesday night. It was one of multiple tornadoes which ripped through several states amid severe weather conditions. Jason Allen reports from Matador.
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At least four people were killed when a tornado tore through the North Texas town of Matador Wednesday night. It was one of multiple tornadoes which ripped through several states amid severe weather conditions. Jason Allen reports from Matador.
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Parts of the country are dealing with dangerously high heat as some are still without power following weekend storms. Tornadoes are also still threatening the central U.S. after a deadly twister hit Mississippi early Monday. Omar Villafranca reports.
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A tornado a quarter-of-a-mile wide ripped through the Texas Panhandle town of Perryton Thursday, leaving three people dead and dozens more injured, officials said. It was part of a severe storm system that also brought flash flooding to the Florida Panhandle. Hundreds of thousands of people remain without power across the South. Omar Villafranca reports from Perryton.
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A tornado tore through the Texas Panhandle town of Perryton on Thursday, killing three people, injuring dozens more and causing widespread damage as another in a series of fierce storms carved its way through Southern states.
Elsewhere, CBS Mobile, Alabama affiliate WKRG-TV cited Escambia Fire Rescue as confirming one fatality off Coker Land in Pensacola due to a tree falling on a home during storms. Flooding and power outages were reported in Pensacola.
Tornado warnings were issued for many parts of the Panhandle region as the overnight period wore on.
Roughly 256,000 customers were without electricity in Texas and Oklahoma as of 3 a.m. EDT, according to the Poweroutage.us website. Some 28,000 more were in the dark in Louisiana.
The National Weather Service in Amarillo confirmed that a tornado hit the Perryton area shortly after 5 p.m. Thursday. But there was no immediate word on its size or wind speeds, meteorologist Luigi Meccariello said.
The fire department in nearby Booker, Texas said Perryton “was hit hard tonight. 3 confirmed deaths, 56 injured, and at least 2 missing. Many people are going to need a lot of help.”
Perryton was hit hard tonight. 3 confirmed deaths, 56 injured, and at least 2 missing. Many people are going to need a…
Perryton Fire Chief Paul Dutcher said at least one person was killed in a mobile home park that took a “direct hit” from a tornado. Dutcher said at least 30 trailers were damaged or destroyed.
First responders from surrounding towns and cities and from neighboring Oklahoma descended on the town, which is home to more than 8,000 people and is located about 115 miles northeast of Amarillo, just south of the Oklahoma line. CBS Amarillo, Texas affiliate KFDA-TV said Multiple agencies from throughout the Texas Panhandle responded to assist Perryton.
Mobile homes were ripped apart and pickup trucks with shattered windshield were slammed against mounds of rubble in residential areas.
Debris covers a residential area in Perryton, Texas, on June 15, 2023, after a tornado struck the town.
David Erickson / AP
Perryton’s downtown also was walloped. About two blocks of businesses were heavily damaged, including an office supply store, a floral shop and a hair salon along the town’s Main Street. A minivan was shoved into the outer wall of a theater.
With a few hours of daylight left after the storm passed through, broken windows were being boarded up.
The Ochiltree County Sheriff’s Department said it would enforce a curfew overnight because of downed power lines and other dangers that might not be visible in the dark.
Alex Driggars, a reporter for the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, posted footage to social media that he said showed Perryton City Hall and the city’s fire station, both of which appeared to have sustained significant damage.
Storm chaser Brian Emfinger told Fox Weather that he watched the twister move through a mobile home park, mangling trailers and uprooting trees.
“I had seen the tornado do some pretty serious destruction to the industrial part of town,” he said. “Unfortunately, just west of there, there is just mobile home, after mobile home, after mobile home that is completely destroyed. There is significant damage.”
Ochiltree General Hospital in Perryton said on Facebook, “Walking/wounded please go to the clinic. All others to the hospital ER.”
The hospital also said an American Red Cross shelter had been set up at the Ochiltree County Expo Center.
“We got slammed” with patients, said Kelly Judice, the hospital’s interim CEO.
“We have seen somewhere between 50 and 100 patients,” Judice said, including about 10 in critical condition who were transferred to other hospitals.
Patients had minor to major trauma, ranging from “head injuries to collapsed lungs, lacerations, broken bones,” she said.
Buildings and vehicles show damage after a tornado struck Perryton, Texas, on June 15, 2023.
David Erickson / AP
Chris Samples of local radio station KXDJ-FM said the station was running on auxiliary power.
“The whole city is out of power,” he said.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Thursday he had directed the state Division of Emergency Management to help with everything from traffic control to restoring water and other utilities, if needed.
By evening, the weather front was moving southeast across Oklahoma.
Elsewhere in Texas and other Southern states stretching to Florida, heat advisories were in effect Thursday and were forecast into the Juneteenth holiday weekend with temperatures reaching toward 100 degrees Fahrenheit. It was expected to feel as hot as 110 degrees Fahrenheit.
The storm system also brought hail and possible tornados to northwestern Ohio.
A barn was smashed and trees toppled in Sandusky County, Ohio, and power lines were downed in northern Toledo, leaving thousands without power. The weather service reported “a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado” over Bellevue and storms showing “signs of rotation” in other areas.
It was the second day in a row that powerful storms struck the U.S. On Wednesday, strong winds toppled trees, damaged buildings and blew cars off a highway from the eastern part of Texas to Georgia.
Severe weather, including damaging winds and tornadoes, are possible in many parts of the South Wednesday and Thursday. Meteorologist Chris Warren with The Weather Channel has the forecast.
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There were no reports of injuries after at least eight tornadoes ripped through Alabama and Georgia on Wednesday, damaging buildings and downing trees and power lines. The unstable weather is expected to continue across the South. Mark Strassman has the latest.
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At least eight tornadoes ripped through Oklahoma Thursday night. In the town of Cole, at least 10 structures were damaged, and a tornado tore the roof off a donut shop near Oklahoma City. Roxana Saberi has more.
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The City of Virginia Beach declared a state of emergency after a tornado moved through the area Sunday and damaged dozens of homes, downed trees and caused gas leaks.
“Based on the debris signature on radar, damage reports, and videos of the storm, we can confirm that there was a tornado,” the National Weather Service in Wakefield, Virginia said in a tweet.
We’ve been getting a lot of questions regarding the tornado in Virginia Beach this evening. Based on the debris signature on radar, damage reports, and videos of the storm, we can confirm that there was a tornado. A survey will be conducted tomorrow to determine the rating. pic.twitter.com/1XcBy8keJa
City Manager Patrick Duhaney declared a state of emergency Sunday night.
Much of the damage had been reported in the area of River Road and N. Great Neck Road. It also includes Upper Chelsea Reach and Haversham Close.
There were no immediate reports of injuries.
Virginia Natural Gas responded to several homes with gas leaks and Dominion Energy was reporting just under 1,000 outages early Monday.
Great Neck Road will remain closed between Cox High School and the bridge at Adam Keeling Road until further notice to allow for emergency and debris management work to occur, the city said.
Crews will be out at 8 a.m. Monday to begin cleaning up streets.
Three schools were closed Monday due damage from the storm, the school district said.
As a result of the severe weather, the Something in the Water festival in Virginia Beach announced all events for Sunday, the third day of the festival, were canceled.
“No one wants to make this call, but we cannot predict nor negotiate with the weather tonight. It is our responsibility to ensure public safety above all else,” Duhaney said.
The severe weather in Virginia Beach came after thunderstorms, hail as large as golf balls and at least one confirmed tornado hit Florida on Saturday.
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