Storm death toll reaches 44 as 241 tornadoes rip through fourteen states in USA

Mtoday news/ Mail

North Carolina, April 17:

 

* 23 deaths reported in North Carolina, four in Virginia, seven in Alabama, two in Oklahoma, seven in Arkansas and one in Mississippi

    * Three of the victims came from one family - and the death toll is expected to rise

    * Deadliest U.S. storm since February 2008 - 200,000 homes in North Carolina without power

The death toll from three days of severe weather in the South-east is believed to have risen as high as 44, as a reported 241 tornadoes ripped off the roofs of schools, blocked roads and took down power lines.

Four people - including a child - were killed in the fast-moving violent storms that swept across Virginia and injured 64 residents of Gloucester County on Saturday. Hailstones the size of grapefruit were reported, creating flash floods.

The child died in the state’s Shenandoah Valley after being swept away in a flash flood and authorities rescued another flood victim - but a third is missing. Three people from one family died as storms destroyed mobile homes in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Monster looms: this photo was snapped just seconds before Richard Burkett and his wife took cover in a closet underneath their stairs. The tornado hit their barn in Colerain, North Carolina and came over their house

Some houses untouched, others obliterated after tornado rips through Deltaville, Va. Tornadoes and flash flooding have left several people dead in Virginia, and crews are continuing to assess damage that severe weekend storms caused across several areas of the state.

Wide shot: This aerial photo shows tornado damage at the Lowes Home Improvement Center in Sanford, North Carolina on Sunday

Path of destruction: This aerial photo shows tornado damage in the St. Andrews subdivision south of Sanford, North Carolina

The 241 twisters were reported in 14 states over the past 72 hours, ranking this outbreak among the largest in history and the deadliest U.S. storm since February 2008, when 57 people died from tornadoes in the south and Ohio Valley, said AccuWeather.com meteorologist Andy Mussoline.

’I would expect that total to rise, unfortunately,’ Mr Mussoline said.

In North Carolina, 62 twisters were reported, destroying homes, taking the roof off a school, flipping cars, bringing down electricity lines and cutting off power to around 200,000 homes in the state.

The National Weather Service reported 23 people were confirmed as having been killed in the state. Most of those occurred in two rural counties - four in Bladen and 11 in Bertie.

’Many communities have downed trees, downed power lines and a significant amount of debris on the roadways,’ Doug Hoell, the head of emergency services, said.

Holed: A car is swallowed up when a tree was felled by a tornado near Raleigh, North Carolina on Saturday

Serious damage: A Lowes Home Improvement employee stands in the parking lot of their store after it was hit by a tornado

Significant damage was reported in at least 15 counties. Peggy Mosley, 54, who has lived in the Raleigh trailer park for 25 years, said she was prepared when the storm bore down.

’I got into my small bathroom and just sat in there, cried and prayed until it was over,’ she said.

Nearly 30 homes were damaged at Camp Lejeune following a series of tornadoes that caused injuries, and one seriously-hurt child was taken to hospital.

Devastation: Homes and businesses were badly damaged Saturday by a severe storm system that whipped across North Carolina, bringing flash floods, hail and reports of tornadoes from the western hills to Raleigh

 

Forecast: This Sunday weather map shows where the storms and flash flood risks are in the U.S.

Meanwhile, seven people were killed in Alabama, there were two other deaths in Oklahoma and seven in Arkansas, reported CNN.

In Mississippi, one death and six injuries were reported.

Severe weather has hit parts of the Midwest and South since Thursday - taking out trees, power lines, cars and homes as it moved towards the East.