Aftermath

South Cleans Up After Twisters

43 people killed.

A string of tornadoes tore across the southern United States over the weekend, leaving a trail of destruction. The storms started in Oklahoma Thursday and then moved east through Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, North and South Carolina, and Virginia. Its effects could even be felt in the New York City area on Saturday night as heavy rains pounded the Northeast. April and May are typically the worst time for tornadoes in the South, though this storm was unusual for its size and duration, and that it originated in the Pacific Ocean. The storm killed at least 43 people, 22 in North Carolina alone, and injured hundreds of others. However, meteorologists say 2008’s “Super Tuesday,” when a string of tornadoes killed 56 people, was worse than this storm system. Still, four Southern states had declared a state of emergency on Sunday, and 12 teams from the Federal Emergency Management Agency were expected to arrive in North Carolina by Monday.