At least four dead and severe damage after hurricane in US

In the Midwest of the United States, only a pile of buildings remained. Among the dead was a four-month-old baby.

Several tornadoes have caused widespread damage and loss of life in the American Midwest. At least four people, including a four-month-old baby, died and dozens were injured near the small town of Holdenville in the US state of Oklahoma, local media reported on Sunday, citing emergency services. Governor Kevin Stitt offered his condolences to the relatives and announced that he would visit the scene later that day.

He had earlier declared a state of emergency for the affected parts of the US state. The city of Omaha in the state of Nebraska, USA and its surroundings were particularly affected. Around 150 houses there were damaged or destroyed, local media reported on Saturday evening (local time), citing police.

Tens of thousands of homes are without electricity

Photos and videos showed the buildings, of which only a mountain of rubble remained. Also, electricity was cut off in thousands of homes. The weather service estimated the “twisters” had wind gusts of 215 kilometers per hour on Friday. Seven million people were affected by tornado warnings, and storm and severe weather warnings were in effect for 47 million people across the United States, from East Texas to Illinois and Wisconsin.

“We were very fortunate that there were very few injuries,” said Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer. The alarm systems worked well in a city of about half a million people. It saved people's lives. Nebraska Governor Jim Billon, who visited the site, said it was “an extraordinary miracle that such a storm escaped without loss of life.”

Tornado moves into Iowa

In Lancaster County, reports say about 70 people have been rescued from a factory building that collapsed in the storm. On its path of destruction, a tornado moved across the Missouri River into the neighboring US state of Iowa. There he inflicted severe damage on the small town of Minden. About 50 houses were completely destroyed.

On Friday and Saturday alone, dozens of tornadoes and violent tornadoes were reported in five US states, according to CNN. Severe weather warnings are in effect for about nine million residents. Experts attribute the increase in natural disasters — storms, floods and wildfires — to the effects of climate change in the United States. (APA/dpa)