KEY POINTS

  • The death toll rose to 33 Tuesday as states across the U.S. South began recovery efforts from the Easter weekend storms
  • Mississippi, Georgia, and South Carolina accounted for most of the reported deaths while the remained were scattered across Tennessee, Arkansas, and North Carolina
  • The storms initially left over a million customers without power, which was reduced to nearly 300,000 by Tuesday

At least 33 people are dead after severe weather ripped through the southern U.S. over Easter weekend leaving destruction behind and several thousand still without power. Tornadoes caused havoc in parts of Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee and Georgia in the deadliest tornado outbreak since April 2014.

Eleven deaths were reported in Mississippi, the most of any state. The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency said the deaths were spread across Walthall, Lawrence, and Jefferson Davis Counties, all near the state’s border with Louisiana.

Nine deaths were reported in South Carolina. The state’s emergency management said the highest concentration was in Seneca, located in the state’s northwestern region near the borders with Tennessee and Georgia.

Officials in Georgia reported eight deaths. The Murray County Fire Department said the county was hit hard by the passing storms as they moved into the state from Tennessee. Department Chief Dewayne Bain said a local trailer park was heavily damaged and left seven people dead. Another death was reported in Bartow County, just outside of Atlanta.

Police in Tennessee said three people were found dead in the aftermath of the storms as officers checked on residents who asked for help following the storms. The death in Arkansas was reported in White Hall after emergency responders found a man dead inside his home. It was a similar situation in North Carolina, where a woman was found dead in her bedroom.

Following the storms, roughly 1.3 million customers were left without power in Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. Floods and mudslides were reported in mountainous regions.

PoweOutage.US said Tuesday that the number had significantly dropped, but there were still nearly 300,000 customers without power.

This handout photo obtained April 13, 2020 courtesy of the City of Monroe, Louisiana shows the aftermath of storm damage after tornadoes ripped through southern US states on Easter Sunday
This handout photo obtained April 13, 2020 courtesy of the City of Monroe, Louisiana shows the aftermath of storm damage after tornadoes ripped through southern US states on Easter Sunday The City of Monroe / Handout
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