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WEATHER REPORT
N. Carolina pummeled as US tornadoes kill 44

Shawtna Mathews, 13, is lucky to be alive after a tornado destroyed her home April 17, 2011 in Gloucester, Virginia. She and her brother had minor scratches, but her mother and step father were taken to the hospital for treatment. A tornado that barreled across Gloucester Saturday evening cut a mile-wide swath of destruction about 7 1/2 miles long from Coke to the Mathews County line, leaving three residents dead and more than 60 injured, said Sheriff Steve Gentry. Photo courtesy AFP.

12 killed in China hailstorm: report
Beijing (AFP) April 18, 2011 - At least 12 people were killed and 27 injured as hailstones, lashing rain and gales pounded southern China's Guangdong province on Sunday, state media said. The storms, which hit cities including Guangzhou, Foshan, Dongguan and Zhongshan, caused about 50 million yuan ($7.5 million) in direct economic losses, the ministry of civil affairs said, according to the official Xinhua news agency. The Guangdong provincial government has dispatched a team to the disaster-affected areas to direct relief work, the report said. The local government has initiated emergency plans to rush the injured to hospital, provide aid to the elderly, and inspect for endangered buildings.

At least 44 dead in US storms: AFP tally
Washington (AFP) April 17, 2011 - The death toll from storms and tornadoes that swept across a large swath of the United States in recent days stands at 44, according to a toll compiled Sunday by AFP from state officials. Beginning in Oklahoma on Thursday, one of the most powerful and damaging spring storm systems in decades has now caused fatalities in six different southern and eastern states. An official in worst-hit North Carolina put the toll there Sunday at 23. This was in addition to seven deaths each in Alabama and Arkansas, four in Virginia, two in Oklahoma, and one in Mississippi.
by Staff Writers
Raleigh, North Carolina (AFP) April 17, 2011
The worst tornadoes to hit parts of the United States in decades have left 44 people dead, stripping roofs off houses and tossing mobile homes into the air like toys, emergency officials said Sunday.

The trail of destruction began on Thursday evening in Oklahoma, where a giant twister almost wiped out the small town of Tushka -- population 350 -- tearing up most of its homes and businesses and killing two elderly residents.

The storm system strengthened and expanded on Friday, whipping up hundreds more tornadoes that barreled through Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama and North Carolina, before petering out in Virginia on Saturday night.

"It's the most significant damage by a tornado since the early 80s," Governor Beverly Perdue told reporters in Raleigh, capital of worst-hit North Carolina, where 23 people died.

Among seven people killed in Alabama were a mother and her two children sheltering inside their mobile home when it was thrown some 500 feet (150 meters) into the woods, landing on its roof.

Seven others died in Arkansas, four in Virginia, and one in Mississippi.

Falling trees snapped power lines and came crashing down on cars and houses, killing occupants and causing widespread damage. Witnesses described hailstones the size of grapefruit.

"This is the worst storm, tornado-wise, since 1984," Patty McQuillan, a spokeswoman from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in Raleigh, told AFP.

1984 saw the most destructive tornadoes in more than a century, with twisters sweeping through Georgia, the Carolinas and Virginia, killing 57 people and injuring more than 1,000.

"I actually do remember the last one," said McQuillan. "I believe that the destruction may even be greater this time than it was in 1984."

More than 60 homes in North Carolina were destroyed and more than 400 others sustained heavy damage. Aerial footage showed a vast Lowe's home improvement store obliterated with no roof and flattened walls.

"I've never seen anything like this in my life," Perdue told local media. "There is a tremendous amount of property damage and damage to people's lives. The hardest is for the people whose lives have been devastated."

The governor declared a state of emergency on Saturday night to loosen up federal funds for what promises to be a long and painful recovery.

"The state of emergency allows the governor to deploy the necessary assets to respond to and recover from the storm and it's also a prerequisite for asking for federal disaster assistance," explained McQuillan.

The biggest toll in one area was 14 in North Carolina's Bertie County, which has a population of less than 20,000, according to the last census figures.

"We've had hurricanes, we've had floods, but we've never seen the loss of life we're seeing here," county official Zee Lamb told CNN, describing the vast complex of tornadoes that tore through the area.

"It was estimated about a half-mile to three-quarters of a mile wide and it lasted for about six to eight, 10 miles through the county," Lamb said.

Sam Bennett, 35, and his wife had just put their son, who turns two next week, down for a nap when they realized the storm was bearing down on their building in Raleigh.

"We hustled the dogs and the baby into the back rooms," Bennett told AFP. "It got louder and louder and we heard a couple of booms and the fire alarm went off."

The ceiling above them collapsed and water came pouring into their apartment, but the Bennetts could count themselves among the lucky ones -- at least they survived and their home is salvageable.

"The tornado outbreak led to a total of 241 tornado reports in 14 states over the three-day period," said Meghan Evans from Accuweather.com. "This will likely rank this tornado outbreak among the largest in history."

The meteorologist said there had been three main contributory factors: a powerful jet stream, abundant moisture and a strong cold front plowing across the South.

"A powerful jet stream helped to enhance the thunderstorm growth, while moisture surging in from the Gulf of Mexico acted as fuel for the thunderstorms."

Though more fatalities occurred in tornado outbreaks in 2008 (57) and 1985 (76), experts believe this weekend could have set a new record for the number of twisters over a three-day period.

It is feared the damage will run into the billions of dollars.



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WEATHER REPORT
22 dead as tornadoes rip across US: media
Chicago (AFP) April 16, 2011
At least 22 people have been killed as a powerful storm whipped up tornadoes in its third day across parts of the southern, central and eastern United States, local media reported Saturday. At least five people were killed as tornadoes left a trail of destruction in North Carolina on Saturday, leveling homes and businesses and knocking out power, NBC television reported. One person was k ... read more







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