Death toll rises as storm survivors pick up pieces across South

A part of Interstate 70 was closed near St. Louis on Sunday because of water over the roadway.

In addition to the four soldiers, two other people died in Pulaski County when their auto was swept away by floodwaters.

Briana Betancis, 14, and Deziree Dominguez, 12, fly down a hill at Memorial Park in El Paso, Texas, Sunday, Dec. 27, 2015.

At least 43 people have died in recent days from Texas to IL to the Southeast as severe weather brought tornadoes, blizzard conditions and flooding across the nation.

Eight people died and 15 were injured in Garland, about 20 miles northeast of Dallas. “It is a very hard time to be struck by such a awful storm the day after Christmas”.

Another three deaths were reported in Collin County, said Lt. Chris Havey, a spokesman for the sheriff’s office.

At least 600 homes were damaged in Garland and more than 100 were impacted farther to the south in Ellis County.

A statement on the Garland city website said National Weather Service meteorologists found the damage consistent with a category four tornado on the Enhanced Fujita scale.

The deaths are “believed to be related to vehicles struck by the tornado”, it said, adding that there was also an unconfirmed number of injuries and that teams of rescuers are arriving to help scour damaged areas.

A few thousand customers were without power Saturday night across the state, the Tulsa World also reported.

A damaged house after Saturday’s tornado spread out in Rowlett, Texas.

In nearby MS, where Governor Phil Bryant declared a state of emergency to deal with flooding, “severe storms” are forecast through Monday, the state Emergency Management Agency said.

In the western and northern sections of the state, blizzard warnings were in effect until Monday afternoon and whiteout conditions were expected from heavy snow blown by winds gusting to 65 miles per hour, forecasters said.

A state of emergency has been declared in the states of Missouri and New Mexico.

According to the National Weather Service, a major winter storm system will continue to bring freezing conditions to areas spanning from the Rocky Mountains to the Midwest through at least Tuesday.

“American and its employees stand ready to assist in the recovery efforts and we encourage our customers to join us by donating to the Red Cross”, said Joe Taney, American’s vice president for Dallas-Fort Worth Hub Operations.

“The storms that went through last night have left many families homeless or with home damage”, Dennis Austin, pastor of the Joshua Seventh-day Adventist Church, said in an appeal circulated on Facebook. The River Paraguay, which flows by the country’s capital, Asuncion, has already reached 7.82 meters (25.66 feet), its highest level since 1992. Near Dallas, around 1,450 homes were damaged after a strong tornado swept across the region.

Police said all street and highway lights had been knocked out, leaving officers working in the dark overnight.

Gov. Susana Martinez declared a state of emergency Sunday in response to the snowstorm.

“Dangerous flooding will extend from north Texas to central IL”, it said.