April 13 (UPI) — At least 31 people have died in the U.S. Southeast following severe weather and dozens of tornadoes that hit on Easter Sunday, officials said.
At least 11 deaths were reported in Mississippi, local firefighters said Monday. Among the dead in Lawrence, Miss. were County Sheriff’s Deputy Robert Ainsworth and his wife, authorities wrote in a Facebook post.
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster said nine people died in his state, while seven people died in Georgia. Two more people died in Tennessee and a person in North Carolina and Arkansas were both killed by trees crashing into their respective homes.
Meteorologists said at least 34 tornadoes were reported in the Southeast as severe storm systems passed on Sunday. The governors of Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama have each declared states of emergency in response.
“Several communities are grappling with serious storm damage, and I ask everyone to lift them up in prayer,” Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp tweeted Monday. “Our hearts go out to the loved ones and friends of those we lost.”
More than 20 people were injured in Jonesboro, Ark., and 14 were hospitalized in the Chattanooga area, where the storm disrupted power, knocked over trees and destroyed homes.
Tennessee utility Electric Power Board said as many as 60,000 customers were without power early Monday. About 85,000 outages were reported in northern Georgia. Restoration is expected to take several days.
One of the twisters caused significant damage at the airport in Monroe, La., which has been closed until further notice.
