Southern tornadoes

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4-Month-Old Survives After Getting Flung Into Air by Tornado

Family finds him in fallen tree

(Newser) - A 4-month-old boy has survived after a tornado in Tennessee sucked him up from his family's mobile home, which was demolished in the storm, the AP reports. Sydney Moore told WSMV-TV that when the tornado hit their home in Clarksville on Saturday, it ripped off the roof and lifted...

Tornado Hits Missouri; Multiple People Dead

Deadly weather system continues to wreak havoc, with more on the horizon

(Newser) - A tornado that tore through southeastern Missouri on Wednesday caused widespread destruction and killed and injured multiple people, the AP reports. The tornado moved through a rural area of Bollinger County, about 50 miles south of St. Louis, between 3:30 and 4am, said Sgt. Clark Parrott of the Missouri...

Weekend Tornadoes Damaged 40% of a Tennessee County

Nationwide, 32 deaths have been reported

(Newser) - The devastation from weekend tornadoes that ripped through several states over the weekend was still being assessed on Monday morning. So far, authorities have put the death toll at 32, including 15 fatalities in Tennessee, nine of them coming in McNairy County alone, reports the AP . Arkansas and Indiana had...

'Absolute Chaos' as Tornadoes Rip Through Multiple States

At least 21 are dead as severe weather blasts through Illinois, Arkansas, Indiana, Iowa, Oklahoma

(Newser) - The scope of the destruction caused by what may have been dozens of tornadoes that swept through parts of the South and Midwest the day before became clearer late Saturday. Officials raised the death toll to 21, the AP reports; seven of the victims were killed in Tennessee's McNairy...

So Long, Midwest: Tornado Alley Has a New Favorite Target

Instances of tornadoes in Great Plains are down, while they're more frequent in the Southeast

(Newser) - Parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska have long been such rich tornado-magnets that the area was less-than-charmingly dubbed "Tornado Alley ." But as NBC News reports, Tornado Alley looks to be picking itself up and moving south, with researchers noting a pattern in recent years of fewer twisters...

Tornadoes Kill 9 More Across South
 Tornadoes Kill 11 
 More Across South 
UPDATED

Tornadoes Kill 11 More Across South

Storm system now headed for Georgia

(Newser) - After spawning deadly tornadoes that flattened homes and businesses in Alabama and Mississippi, a storm system that also caused havoc in the Midwest had Georgia in its sights early today. At least 11 people in the South were killed yesterday, bringing the overall death toll from two days of severe...

Christmas Storms, Tornadoes Hit South

 6 Dead, Thousands 
 Stranded in Storm 
updated

6 Dead, Thousands Stranded in Storm

More than 1,300 flights have been canceled

(Newser) - Nasty holiday weather that brought tornadoes to the South and blizzards across the nation's middle is now headed for the Northeast, reports AccuWeather.com . It's not going to be a pretty travel day, whether on the ground or in the air.
  • 6 deaths: Winds brought down a tree
...

FEMA Suspends Joplin Relief to Pay for Irene Relief

And Obama will likely have to ask Congress for additional funding

(Newser) - How will FEMA pay for Hurricane Irene disaster assistance? By suspending payments related to the Joplin tornado, the Washington Post reports. The FEMA disaster relief fund currently has only $900 million in it, less than the preferred $1 billion minimum. President Obama has already signed emergency declarations for the District...

Lethal Fungus Compounds Joplin Misery

Three fatalities linked so far to contaminated soil that got under skin

(Newser) - As if recovering from the devastation of last month's tornado weren't enough, Joplin is facing a new threat: A fungal infection that has been linked in the deaths of at least three people. Murcomycosis is linked to fungal spores that live in the soil, usually inhaled; in Joplin'...

Joplin Confronts Tornado's Toxic Wake

Liquid chemicals, asbestos, burning pollutants all threats of disaster cleanup

(Newser) - As residents confront a gigantic cleanup following the tornado that savaged Joplin, environmental dangers could lurk amid the mountains of debris, and even in the water and air. But EPA teams are saying the damage could’ve been much worse—they’ve turned up no serious pollution issues in the...

Missing Joplin Teen Found Dead

FindWillNorton Facebook page had attracted national attention

(Newser) - A charismatic Joplin teenager whose disappearance in Sunday's tornado captured national attention has been found dead, reports CNN. Will Norton was driving home from his high school graduation with his father when the violent storm snapped his seat belt and pulled him through the sunroof of his Hummer H3....

How to Live Through a Tornado
 How to Live Through a Tornado 

How to Live Through a Tornado

For one thing, don't open the windows

(Newser) - The tornadoes that have rampaged through the South and Midwest this year didn't need to be as devastating as they were: NPR talks to experts and finds that an ounce of prevention can make the difference between life and death, even when 200mph-winds are involved. Some things you can...

After Tornadoes, a Small Town Tries to Find Everyone

Confusion abounds in Hackleburg, Alabama

(Newser) - In Hackleburg, Ala., everybody knows everybody. But the small town of 1,576 was so devastated by last Wednesday's tornadoes it's having trouble accounting for everyone, the New York Times reports. “One of our friends we thought was dead, we saw at a truck stop,” says...

South Struggles to Handle Tornadoes' Homeless

Mayor warns of 'humanitarian crisis' if help doesn't come quickly

(Newser) - Three days after tornadoes devastated the South, the thousands left homeless are emerging as a major problem, reports the LA Times . At least 1,100 are living in emergency shelters, with thousands more in churches or with friends and family. Tuscaloosa Mayor Walter Maddox warned of a "humanitarian crisis"...

Predicting Tornadoes Still a 'Crapshoot'

Dallas will test new approach with network of small radar devices

(Newser) - Even with 21st-century technology, predicting tornadoes is still largely a matter of guesswork, reports the New York Times . Scientists know the weather conditions that create tornadoes, but can't accurately say when those conditions will be just right. "There’s a large crapshoot aspect," says a senior scientist...

Tornadoes' Death Toll Keeps Rising in Alabama, Elsewhere

 Tornadoes' 
 Toll 2nd Worst 
 in US History 
how to help

Tornadoes' Toll 2nd Worst in US History

Rescuers in Tuscaloosa fear count will keep rising

(Newser) - The tornado death toll keeps rising steadily. The seven-state total is now at 339, with nearly 250 of those in Alabama, reports AP . What's worse, rescuers in Tuscaloosa say the city's confirmed toll of 39 feels low, with scores of people still unaccounted for, notes the Tuscaloosa Times...

Obama: ‘I've Never Seen Devastation Like This’

President tours tornado-ravaged Alabama

(Newser) - Barack Obama toured the tornado-ravaged town of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, today, expressing amazement at the wreckage and promising help for those left rebuilding. "I've never seen devastation like this," the president said. "We're going to make sure you're not forgotten." Obama has declared a...

South Begins to Dig Out of Tornadoes’ Devastation

FEMA, National Guard, church groups organize for victims

(Newser) - In the wake of the deadliest American storms in nearly four decades, hard-hit states in the South are beginning to sift through the ruins as federal and state authorities prepare a giant cleanup effort. Some devastated areas are hardly recognizable, with homes and churches decimated, cars sent flying, and trees...

Tornado Death Toll Near 300; Obama Visits Tomorrow

At least 194 killed in Alabama alone

(Newser) - President Obama will visit Alabama tomorrow to see the tornado devastation for himself and meet with families and Gov. Robert Bentley, reports AP . Meanwhile:
  • The total death toll is at 280 and expected to rise. Alabama is the hardest hit with 194 fatalities, followed by Mississippi (33), Tennessee (33), Georgia
...

Mom, Daughters Survive Tornado in Tanning Bed

Three climbed in when they 'started seeing stuff flying around’

(Newser) - A little bright spot amid the tornado devastation : A woman in Trenton, Ga., tells WRCB-TV that she and her two daughters survived by climbing into a tanning bed in the family's newly opened salon. "We just laid there for a few minutes," says Lisa Rice. "I...

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