At least 40 tornadoes reported as destructive storms devastate the South and Midwest, killing 36

At least 36 people have died in a devastating cross-country storm this weekend as 40 tornadoes ripped through eight states in the South and Midwest, decimating homes, businesses and schools.The death toll has continued to grow as extreme weather and powerful tornadoes left hundreds of thousands without power, as the monster storm is expected to slam parts of the East Coast on Sunday. The dynamic “high risk” storm from Friday to Sunday has spurred at least 40 tornadoes across eight states, including Alabama, Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi, Illinois, Louisiana, Indiana and Tennessee.At least three people, including an 82-year-old woman inside a manufactured home, were killed in central Alabama when multiple tornadoes bulldozed through the state, Dallas County Sheriff Michael L.Granthum said Sunday.

Twelve fatalities were reported in Missouri – the most of any state struck by the storm – from scattered twisters, thunderstorms and gigantic hail that wreaked havoc on dozens of communities.Five bodies were found scattered in the debris as rescuers desperately tried to save their trapped neighbors on Friday, Missouri resident Dakota Henderson said.“It was a very rough deal last night.

It’s really disturbing for what happened to the people, the casualties last night,” Henderson told the Associated Press on Saturday.Meanwhile, Butler County Coroner Jim Akers described the “unrecognizable home” where one man was killed as “just a debris field.”“The floor was upside down.We were walking on walls,” he told AP.In Mississippi, six people have died in three counties and three more were missing as of late Saturday, Gov.

Tate Reeves announced.Meanwhile, in Troy, Alabama, a recreation center where over 200 people had taken shelter from the storm would be closed because of the damage it sustained overnight from the storms, officials said.Officials in Arkansas also confirmed three deaths, while Gov.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders declared a state of emergency....