Tornadoes kill more than 25 in south-central US
LONDON, Kentucky
Severe storms that tore through the U.S. states of Missouri, Kentucky and Virginia left more than 25 people dead, leveling homes and businesses while knocking out power for tens of thousands, authorities say.
At least 18 people were killed in Kentucky in the storms May 26 night, state governor Andy Beshear posted on X, while officials in Missouri said another seven were dead there.
Two people were also killed by falling trees in Virginia, local media reported.
Drone footage shared by local media showed scenes of devastation in London, Kentucky, with houses leveled and reduced to splinters and tree trunks standing bare, shorn of branches.
More than 108,000 people were still without power across the three states yesterday.
In Missouri, five people were killed in the major city of St. Louis, in what authorities said was one of the worst storms in its history, and two in Scott County, the State Highway Patrol said in a statement.
While there were warnings ahead of the severe weather, the death toll may raise questions about whether sharp cuts by the Trump administration have left National Weather Service forecasting teams dangerously understaffed.
An estimated 500 of the 4,200 NWS employees have been fired or taken early retirement this year, according to the Washington Post.
The United States saw the second-highest number of tornadoes on record last year with nearly 1,800, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), trailing only 2004.
