ALBAWABA- At least 34 people have been killed as powerful tornadoes and severe storms tore through Missouri, Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Mississippi, leaving a trail of destruction across the Midwest and South.
The violent weather system has left hundreds of thousands without power, injured dozens, and triggered deadly wildfires in Oklahoma.
Nearly 9 million people remain under tornado watches across Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee, while another 82.8 million face wind advisories, primarily in the central U.S., as reported by NBC News
More than 20 severe weather incidents were reported last night, with the threat expected to persist into late in the evening before moving toward the East Coast by today.
One tornado struck eastern Alabama early this morning, touching down northwest of Cusseta in Chambers County and heading toward Huguley and Lanett, according to the National Weather Service (NWS) office in Birmingham.
The tornado was confirmed via radar, prompting NWS staff to take shelter. "Our staff took shelter when a tornado-warned storm was approaching our office. (Our break room is our safe room.)," the office posted on social media.
The widespread destruction has also caused major power outages, with more than 185,000 utility customers left in the dark across six states. Missouri has been the hardest hit, with nearly 69,000 outages, followed by Alabama (51,000), Georgia (27,000), Mississippi (12,000), Tennessee (16,000), and Illinois (10,000).
Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves assured residents that emergency crews are working to restore power. "Crews are currently working to restore power as quickly as possible," Reeves said during a news conference earlier today.
