At least seven people are dead after tornadoes ripped through parts of the South and Midwest this week (April 2–4), and more life-threatening severe weather is expected through the weekend.
Multiple tornadoes touched down in several states on Wednesday (April 2). The Tennessean reported five deaths in Tennessee as of April 3, even as Gov. Bill Lee told residents first responders were continuing to search for survivors in neighborhoods that were “completely wiped out.”
In Nashville, fire officials reported that some city weather sirens stopped working because their batteries were drained as the system passed through. More than 53 tornado warnings were issued in Tennessee from Tuesday to Wednesday morning, the paper reported.
Missouri and Indiana each had confirmed one death as of 8 a.m. on April 4.
SBDR mobilizing
Wes Jones, Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief’s state director, said efforts are ongoing while leaders continue to monitor the forecast.
“We currently have members of TBDR teams making calls, and in certain areas, assessing damage,” Jones told Baptist Press. “Our prayers are certainly with the families and communities who lost loved ones or suffered property loss.
“Our biggest concern right now is flooding. We have some areas that are prone to flood quickly, and if we get the level of rain predicted this afternoon and overnight, and possibly into Saturday, we could have some serious issues in some areas of our state.”
Kentucky Baptist Convention Executive Director Todd Gray told Baptist Press that efforts are focusing on hard-hit areas in the western part of that state, though damage has also been reported elsewhere, including Louisville.
“Our Disaster Relief director, Ron Crow, has been working the phone and reaching out to Kentucky Baptist associational leaders across the state and churches prepared to host DR teams if needed,” he said. “As always, Kentucky Baptist DR workers are ready to deploy with two units currently doing work in Missouri following the recent storms there.”
Expansive flooding threat
The National Weather Service issued a statement April 4 warning of “life-threatening, catastrophic and potentially historic” flash flooding across the Lower Ohio Valley and Mid-South to Lower Mississippi Valley Friday through Sunday (April 4–6). The Weather Channel estimates that at least 33 million people are under flood watches across 11 states: Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and West Virginia.
(Compiled from news sources)
