President Donald Trump announced Sunday that the National Guard was deployed to Arkansas after tornadoes ripped across the Midwest and South.
At least 42 people were killed, according to NBC. Three people were reported killed in Alabama, three in Arkansas, 12 in Missouri, four in Oklahoma, eight in Kansas, six in Mississippi, two in North Carolina, and four in Texas.
“We are actively monitoring the severe tornadoes and storms that have impacted many States across the South and Midwest — 36 innocent lives have been lost, and many more devastated,” Trump wrote in a Sunday evening Truth Social post.
“The National Guard have been deployed to Arkansas, and my Administration is ready to assist State and Local Officials, as they help their communities to try and recover from the damage.
“Please join Melania and me in praying for everyone impacted by these terrible storms!” Trump wrote.
“I was holding my wife to my chest and just watching everything disappear and watching everything get ripped out away from me,” William Shultz of Tylertown, Mississippi, said, according to NBC.
“I’m just thankful to be alive. The important thing is me and my family are safe,” he said.
In Cave City, Arkansas, tornadoes caused vast damage, destroying buildings and the town’s power grid, but in a post on Facebook, Mayor Jonas Anderson found a light in the darkness, noting that only five people were hurt in the devastation.
Have you ever experienced a tornado?
“There are no known fatalities. This is an absolute miracle from God,” he wrote.
“We need your absolute cooperation and your prayers. There is a lot to wrap our heads around and lots to do. Let’s care for each other. Let’s speak and act in ways that will confound those watching, and show what the people of this community are made of,” he wrote.
Jaw-dropping drone footage captures the aftermath of a massive tornado in Tylertown, MS, showcasing the extensive damage left behind. pic.twitter.com/n5Lhp9GCrW
— AccuWeather (@accuweather) March 15, 2025
In Walthall County, Mississippi, where at least three people were killed Saturday, one family survived after being buried by debris in their home, according to the Clarion Ledger.
“There was five of us in the house,” Tyrene Power of Tylertown said Sunday. “My husband, my two sons and a friend who came because she’s scared of bad weather, and she lives by herself.”
“You know, they say you hear a train,” Power said. “We heard no train. It was just the wind, and then it was there.”
The roof of the house was blown off, and then the walls caved in.
“It was scary,” said Mickey Power, Tyrene’s son. “It came in from the back, and that’s when we heard an explosion when the windows blew out. That’s when all hell broke loose.”
Family friend Cynthia Leake said Sunday, it was “unbelievable they survived this. It’s a total disaster.”
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