Parts of Pennsylvania, New York, and several mid-Atlantic and southeastern US states remain under weather alerts for damaging winds and tornadoes, as the death toll from the weekend storms has risen to 36 across six states.
In a statement from the White House, President Donald Trump indicated he was keeping a close watch on the tornadoes and storms, stating, “36 innocent lives have been lost, and many more have been impacted.”
Mr. Trump announced the deployment of the National Guard to Arkansas and committed to providing assistance to state and local officials.
The storms that affected the South and the Midwest have now moved eastward.
The Harmony Hills trailer park in Missouri suffered catastrophic damage from intense winds.
Robbie Myers, the emergency management director for Missouri’s Butler County, informed reporters that over 500 homes, a church, and a supermarket in the county were devastated. He noted that a mobile home park had been “completely destroyed.”
“Everything around it here is really bad,” said Missouri resident Rick Brittingham from Butler County. “The trailer park up the street had fatalities. I mean, we don’t have anything compared to that situation. I still have a home; they don’t.”
Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves reported via X that the state has recorded six fatalities—one in Covington County, two in Jefferson Davis County, and three in Walthall County.
Preliminary assessments indicate that 29 individuals were injured statewide and that 21 counties faced storm damage, according to Mr. Reeves.
Here’s my promised update on the severe storms, tornadoes, and earthquakes that impacted Mississippi over the last 24 hours based on our latest information.
First, I signed a State of Emergency tonight that allows us to mobilize state assets more effectively…
pic.twitter.com/TDDjZzhGfk
— Governor Tate Reeves (@tatereeves) March 16, 2025
In Arkansas, the state’s Department of Emergency Management reported three fatalities and 32 injuries.
In Sherman County, Kansas, eight deaths occurred in a multi-vehicle crash involving over 50 cars, attributed to a severe dust storm, according to the Kansas Highway Patrol.
Governor Kay Ivey of Alabama reported at least two deaths related to the severe weather, stating that “we have reports of damage in 52 of our 67 counties.”
Dust storm-related crashes near Amarillo, Texas, led to three fatalities, as reported by the state’s Department of Public Safety.
According to the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center, 39 tornadoes were reported from Friday through midday yesterday, although this number has not yet been confirmed.
