Emergency declared in US after 'devastating' tornado – BBC News

The death toll from the latest series of

tornado

es to ravage parts of the United States is rising. At least three people have died in the states of Arkansas and Illinois. Dozens have been injured and tens of thousands have lost power. Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders has

declared

a state of

emergency

our reporter Shelly Phelps has more ripping off building tops Toppling trees and overturning cars the catastrophic

tornado

began moving through the city of Little Rock in Arkansas on Friday afternoon this man told CBS News what he saw and through our window I saw the uh there's a transformer back here that exploded.

I saw that the lightning that exploded took me by surprise. I went into the bathroom, closed the door and suddenly it was like something like this. wind everywhere it felt like the house was shaking and things were like they were being thrown at it and it was something I had never experienced before, dozens of people were taken to the hospital, debris lay scattered on the roads and tens of thousands of houses. There are also dramatic scenes in Illinois where a tornado caused the roof of a packed theater to collapse. Experts say such severe and widespread weather is unusual.

This is the first time in, I think, over 10 years, that we've had two high-risk areas. that is very unusual because normally the atmosphere likes to focus on a particular area. It comes just a week after a deadly tornado hit Mississippi, killing 25 people. President Biden has been there meeting with the families of those who lost their lives today. I authorized the federal government to cover. 100 of the cost of debris removal and

emergency

measures involved in staying here, keeping the shelters running and paying for every extra hour for everyone. 100 of the cost not to the state but to us for 30 days and then We're not leaving, similar help will be needed for cleanup efforts elsewhere and difficult hours lie ahead for the millions of people facing severe weather warnings across the Midwest and South Shelly Phelps BBC News