Widespread flooding was ongoing Thursday across the central U.S. as an atmospheric river hung over a vast swath of the country, leaving tens of thousands without power as the death toll climbed and forecasters warned of worsening conditions.
Tornadoes were reported from Arkansas to Illinois on Wednesday and early Thursday, according to the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center. Across multiple states, the devastation was immense. The storms and tornadoes flattened homes, tore off roofs, collapsed a warehouse, decimated a church, and overturned trailers.
In Kentucky, Misty Vincent huddled in a bathtub with her four children and two pets as the storm ramped up overnight. The roof of her home was ripped off, and rain began to pour onto them. “It’s like the sky opened up inside,” she told the Louisville Courier Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network.
At least seven deaths have been tied to the storms. Officials in Missouri said one person was killed Wednesday in the southeast part of the state, local news outlets reported. In Tennessee, officials reported at least five deaths across multiple counties, including McNairy, Obion, and Fayette. And in Indiana, authorities say a man died after touching a downed power line.