‘Could Have Been a Lot Worse’: Gov. Rauner Surveys Storm Damage

Compact but strong storms known as supercells raked parts of the central U.S. Damage was caused from Arkansas to Iowa and IL.

There were multiple reports of minor injuries and damaged homes between Ava and Elkville because of sever weather Tuesday, according to Jackson County Sheriff’s Department.

The man driving on I-55 near Perryville was killed as a result of the twister, Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Al Nothum said, without elaborating.

A little more than 1,000 in St. Louis and Perry County are still without power, as of 8 a.m., on the Missouri side of the river.

Alyssa Johnson said her home also was destroyed.

Search and rescue crews were going door-to-door to check on people in the area where homes were damaged and were searching for anyone who may have been injured on the interstate. No fatalities were reported. Also, a tornado watch is expected to be issued for East Central Illinois this afternoon.

Tornadoes may have touched down Wednesday in and near Nashville, Tennessee. Trees are snapped, limbs and power lines are littering the streets. There were reports of power outages in LaSalle County.

In response to the tornadoes’ devastation, Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner announced on Facebook that he had State Emergency Operations Center to aid the affected communities.

As of 3:30 a.m. CST Wednesday, nearly 20,000 Entergy customers are without power in northern Arkansas in the wake of the storms.

Authorities say the tornado that caused widespread damage in Missouri was a strong one that was on the ground for several kilometres.

Areas in northern IL also were affected by the storms, which happened on an unseasonably warm February day. Four tornadoes were reported to have lashed Chicago near Ottawa, III killing one.

A twister hit the LaSalle County Nursing Home in Ottawa in central IL.

Multiple areas across OH were also faced with high water or flood danger from the thunderstorms, officials said. It killed a 71-year-old man and injured his wife.

“We’re now just trying to clear the roads the best we can so we can start cleaning up in the morning”, he said.