Deadly Storms Leave Wake of Destruction Through Midwest, South

A deadly storm system swept across the US this weekend. People in five southeastern states and Pennsylvania spent Sunday under tornado watches. The storms killed at least 36 people. Whole neighborhoods were destroyed. And nearly 300,000 customers were without power.  

Those killed include eight people who perished in a 71-car pileup on Interstate 70. The accident was caused by a dust storm fanned by heavy winds near the Kansas-Colorado border. 

In Missouri, a driver and his son took a video while they were trapped in their car as a twister ripped through a gas station parking lot. "Oh, my God! We're in a tornado!” he yells. 

In Mississippi, officials reported that tornadoes launched debris clouds up to five miles high. Jim Akers surveyed some of the storm damage in Missouri. He said one house he entered where a person had been killed “was unrecognizable as a home. Just a debris field. The floor was upside down.” 

"The sun has risen in Alabama, though," Alabama Governor Kay Ivey said Sunday after reporting on the deaths of at least two people in that state. "We pray for those lives we lost, as well as those who were injured. And we pray for our first responders."

The storm continued to move east on Sunday. Forecasters warned people in the Carolinas, Florida, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Virginia to be prepared for severe weather. The storms could bring more tornadoes. States of emergency were declared in Alabama, Kansas, and Missouri.   

Reflect: What are some ways communities can come together to support each other during challenging times?