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Tornado Death Toll Rises to 57
by
findingDulcinea Staff
Tennessee and Arkansas were hit the hardest during Tuesday’s pre-dawn tornadoes. FEMA responds by dispatching relief teams and President Bush pledges federal aid.
30-Second Summary
Severe thunderstorms and tornadoes have killed at least 57 people and injured hundreds more across the South. The damage is likely to amount to hundreds of millions of dollars.
The tornadoes that swept through Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas and Alabama on Tuesday were the deadliest in 23 years, with Tennessee and Arkansas taking the severest blows. So far, Mississippi has not reported any deaths.
The storms in Tennessee were “massive,” according to emergency director Keith Scruggs. “I've been working 34 years and I've never seen anything like this,” Scruggs said.
They destroyed a Union University dorm in Jackson, Tenn., leaving at least nine students trapped. They also caused a rest home to collapse, trapping some if its residents inside.
It is nearly tornado season in the world’s most tornado-prone country, according to National Geographic. On average, 800 tornadoes are reported in the United States every year. These storms cause an average of 90 deaths and millions of dollars worth of damage.
Despite technological advancements, scientists cannot accurately predict where a tornado will strike. In fact, the average lead-time for a tornado warning is 12 minutes.
The tornadoes that swept through Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas and Alabama on Tuesday were the deadliest in 23 years, with Tennessee and Arkansas taking the severest blows. So far, Mississippi has not reported any deaths.
The storms in Tennessee were “massive,” according to emergency director Keith Scruggs. “I've been working 34 years and I've never seen anything like this,” Scruggs said.
They destroyed a Union University dorm in Jackson, Tenn., leaving at least nine students trapped. They also caused a rest home to collapse, trapping some if its residents inside.
It is nearly tornado season in the world’s most tornado-prone country, according to National Geographic. On average, 800 tornadoes are reported in the United States every year. These storms cause an average of 90 deaths and millions of dollars worth of damage.
Despite technological advancements, scientists cannot accurately predict where a tornado will strike. In fact, the average lead-time for a tornado warning is 12 minutes.
Headline Link: As the devastation is assessed, a baby symbolizes hope
Reuters reports that most of the 57 fatalities occurred in Tennessee, but deaths were also reported in Arkansas, Kentucky and Alabama. FEMA has already dispatched relief teams to the region, and President Bush has pledged federal aid. The tornadoes were the deadliest in 23 years.
Source: Reuters
The AP reports on the miraculous survival of an infant in Castalian Springs, Tenn.: “The muddy field was littered with debris after a wave of violent storms: living room couches, strollers, children's toys. So when two rescuers came upon a baby, they thought he was a doll. Then he moved.”
Source: MSNBC
The Arkansas Matters Web site offers images of the tornado that hit on Feb. 5, 2008, and of the destruction it left in its wake in Arkansas.
Source: Arkansas Matters
Background: Rescue teams begin work
Rescue teams searched door to door for survivors after a series of deadly twisters and storms swept through Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas and Alabama. “It was one of the 15 worst tornado death tolls since 1950, and the nation's deadliest barrage of tornadoes since 76 people were killed in Pennsylvania and Ohio on May 31, 1985,” the Houston Chronicle reports.
Source: Houston Chronicle
The tornado in Tennessee was “massive,” according to emergency director Keith Scruggs. “I've been working 34 years and I've never seen anything like this.” The whirlwind destroyed a Union University dorm in Jackson, Tenn., leaving at least eight students trapped.
Source: USA Today
History: Tri-State Tornado deadliest in U.S. history
“The air was filled with 10,000 things. Boards, poles, cans, garments, stoves, whole sides of the little frame houses, in some cases the houses themselves, were picked up and smashed to earth. And living beings, too. A baby was blown from its mother’s arms. A cow, picked up by the wind, was hurled into the village restaurant,” read an article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch newspaper from March 20, 1925. The Tri-State Tornado swept through three states, killing 695 people, the greatest death toll ever for a single tornado.
Source: National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration
Reference: The mystery of tornadoes
The United States is the most tornado-prone country in the world. On average, around 800 tornadoes are reported in the United States every year. They are most common in Tornado Alley—the central plains region stretching from Texas to Nebraska. The average death toll is 90, with millions of dollars worth of damage being caused. To this day, scientists cannot accurately predict where a tornado will strike.
Source: National Geographic
The average lead-time for tornado warnings is 12 minutes. A twister's strength is measured on a scale of 0 to 5, with 5 indicating winds of up to 318 miles an hour.
Source: National Geographic
The National Severe Storms Laboratory conducts research on tornado-producing storms.
Source: National Severe Storms Laboratory
The Storm Prediction Center makes short-term forecasts on storms and tornadoes.
Source: Storm Prediction Center
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