Memorial Day Weekend Storms Batter US, Leave Broken Houses and 21 Dead

It may not be the Atlantic hurricane season yet, but several storms have already battered the central and southern portions of the US on Memorial Day Weekend, and it has turned deadly, killing 21 people while also destroying homes and businesses, felling trees, and causing power outages.

The deaths occurred in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Kentucky. Meanwhile, an early-season heat wave is already setting records from south Texas to Florida, while a tornado watch has already been issued from North Carolina to Maryland as the severe weather is seen to shift from the South to the East Coast on Monday.

Over in Kentucky, where four people died across four different counties, the state's Democratic governor, Andy Beshear, has already declared a state of emergency. The storms in the state hit the town of Charleston the worst, as homes were destroyed and power was cut off after a tornado hit the small town.

In Texas, another tornado tore through a mobile home park in Cooke County, killing seven people. Meanwhile, eight more people died across the neighboring state of Arkansas, while two more died in Oklahoma. Both Oklahoma deaths happened in Mayes County, per the Associated Press.

"It could have been much worse," said Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear. "The people of Kentucky are very weather aware with everything we've been through."

President Joe Biden sent his condolences to the families of those who were killed by the Memorial Day Weekend storms and stated that the Federal Emergency Management Agency is on the ground and is already conducting damage assessments. He added that he already contacted the various governors to see what federal support he could send them.

Memorial Day Weekend Storms Also Cause Power Outages Across the US

Because of the Memorial Day storms hitting the US, over 360,000 homes and businesses found themselves out of power around 5:30 PM ET. A majority of these power outages happened from Missouri and Arkansas to a stretch between Virginia and South Carolina. The state hit the hardest by these power outages was Kentucky.

With the weather problems shifting to the east, the National Weather Service announced tornado warnings for Washington DC, Virginia, Maryland, and North Carolina. Meanwhile, the agency has also placed a severe thunderstorm watch for New York City, northeastern New Jersey, and the lower Hudson Valley on Monday. Travel delays were also reported in New York thanks to the severe weather.

Texas Residents Still Sifting Through the Rubble After Memorial Day Weekend Storms Hit

Cooke County was the hardest hit county in Texas as seven people were reportedly killed and homes were demolished. The worst-hit portion of the county is near the tiny community of Valley View, where barely 800 people live.

"It's been exhausting and heartbreaking," Valley View Chief of Police Justin Stamms told the Associated Press, "I've seen this kind of damage on TV, but never in person before this. It's terrible."

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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