Tornadoes - Central and Eastern USA

Citation

(2008), "Tornadoes - Central and Eastern USA", Disaster Prevention and Management, Vol. 17 No. 5. https://doi.org/10.1108/dpm.2008.07317eab.010

Tornadoes - Central and Eastern USA

Article Type: News items From: Disaster Prevention and Management, Volume 17, Issue 5

Tornadoes - Central and Eastern USA

Three tornadoes touched down in central and south-eastern Virginia in the USA on April 28. The first tornado struck the city of Suffolk, where most of the injuries occurred. The second hit Colonial Heights near Richmond, and the third struck near Lawrenceville. Early estimates by emergency officials put costs at about $21 million.

The twisters injured more than 200 people, destroyed 48 homes, and damaged about 160 homes. In early May, about 25 tornadoes touched down in central USA. The state of Arkansas was hit the hardest, with seven people killed and about 400 homes damaged or destroyed. Then on May 10 and 11, a series of tornadoes swept through Missouri, Oklahoma, and Georgia, killing at least 23 people and leaving tens of thousands of residents without power.

Officials believed the death toll could rise even higher, once rescue workers finished searching through the rubble. One of the tornadoes severely damaged the town of Picher in northeastern Oklahoma, killing six people and injuring at least 150. During 2008, the central and southern regions of the USA have been hit hard by severe weather and tornadoes.

(Extracted from Natural Hazards Observer, July 2008)