Three die after tornados and severe storms in Indiana and Arkansas

Three die after killer tornados and severe storms barreled through Indiana and Arkansas leaving a trail of destruction and knocking out power for hundreds of thousands

• Three are dead across Indiana and Arkansas with storm now battering East coast

A network of tornadoes and thunderstorms blasted the U.S. Midwest and South on Sunday, leaving at least three people dead in Indiana and Arkansas and a trail of destruction in their wake. 

The National Weather Service said multiple tornadoes and severe storms were reported barreling through both states on Sunday evening, with shocking images and footage from local media showing how fallen trees had blocked roads and homes were damaged. 

A large hail storm was also reported in Indiana and adjacent states, officials said.

Emergency officials from Martin County, Indiana, confirmed one death in the area. Emergency Management Director Cameron Wolf said the victim’s injured partner was airlifted to hospital. 

They lived in a two-storey log cabin, which was destroyed by the storms.

The Lonoke County Sheriff’s Office later confirmed that two people were killed after a tree fell on a home in Carlisle, Arkansas, due to severe storms on Sunday, a CBS News affiliate said.

‘Damage is random, it’s kind of widespread,’ Wolf said in an interview to PBS. 

The damage mostly happened out in the country side, he said, adding that towns were not hit that hard by the storms.

Multiple videos showed a terrifying tornado tearing through a small town in Indiana Sunday, one that sent debris flying through the air and pummeled dozens of homes and another suspected that killed one person

In total, about 10,000 people in the Hoosier State were without power – a number that has since decreased to about 2,000 as of Monday morning as the storm moves east

Fire Chief Eric Funkhouser from the town of Bargersville, south of Indianapolis, said that while no casualties were reported there, about 75 homes sustained moderate to severe damage after the weather, according an NBC News affiliate.

Emergency shelters were set up in central Indiana for those whose homes were damaged and destroyed.

As of Monday morning, about half a million utility customers faced power outages due to the weather in the U.S. Midwest and South.

There were also reports of ‘tennis ball-sized’ hail in parts of the state on Sunday, AccuWeather reported. 

About 25 percent of the flights leaving Indianapolis International Airport were delayed on Sunday and Monday as a result of the inclement weather, with officials instituted a curfew of 9pm local time for the areas affected, the Indianapolis Star reported. 

Chad Swain of the National Weather Service says it’s possible three tornadoes landed across the state. 

Then as the savage weather system spiraled north yesterday, residents of New Jersey were warned to brace for tornadoes.

By 4pm Monday, the storm was battering the entire Tri-state area – as well as Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington DC – bringing with it damaging winds of upwards of 70 mph and lightning, and several inches of rainfall.

A total of 2,067 flights set to fly out of, into, or within the US were delayed, and another 758 canceled Monday morning amid the weather battering the Tri-state area and the East Coast.

By 4pm Monday, the storm was battering the entire Tri-state area – as well as Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington DC 

A total of 2,067 flights set to fly out of, into, or within the US were delayed, and another 758 canceled

In Southern Indiana, which bore the brunt of Sunday’s storm, officials are searching for other victims in a mess of debris wrought by three twisters, one in Martin County, some 85 miles southwest of Indianapolis, and two in nearby Johnston County

One of them tore through the small city of Greenwood – thrusting debris into the air and causing general unrest

Officials in the community of roughly 65,000 would not comment on whether anyone had been injured or killed in the storm, but said they are continuing to evaluate the extent damage seen after the storms 

Counties in North Jersey near the well-traveled airports –  such as Warren, Hunterdon, and Somerset – were under tornado warnings Monday afternoon as the weather began to hit, with rain and highspeed winds throughout the state. 

Much of the rest of the state, as is the case with nearby cities like New York and Philadelphia, remained on heightened thunderstorm alert as of 4:30pm, as the weather persisted overnight.

Swain said the million or so people living along the Interstate 95 corridor in the Northeast could expect warm and muggy weather to accompany the mess of storms through Monday and Tuesday with temperatures expected to remain in the 80s. 

Meanwhile, in Southern Indiana, which bore the brunt of Sunday’s storm, officials are searching for other victims in a mess of debris wrought by a twister in Martin County, some 85 miles southwest of Indianapolis and 80 miles northwest of Louisville.

Ninety miles southwest, another tornado tore through the small city of Greenwood – thrusting debris into the air and causing general unrest.

Officials in the community of roughly 65,000 would not comment on whether anyone had been injured or killed in the storm, but said they are continuing to evaluate the extent damage seen after the storms. 

Other problems have been damaged roofs and downed power lines, with the possibility of power outages for several days.

Around seven miles southwest in the town of Bargersville, at least 75 homes were damaged after a third tornado struck an area three to four miles in length, bringing down power lines but leaving injured, officials later confirmed at a news conference

Another twister stuck Monroe County’s Stanford, downing trees that still needed to be removed Monday

About 25 percent of the flights leaving Indianapolis International Airport were delayed on Sunday – part of more than 2,000 cancellations over the weekend that continued Monday in cities now set to be hit by the still-moving system

Other problems have been damaged roofs and downed power lines, with the possibility of power outages for several days

The National Weather Service kept tornado watches in place for the state as well as nearby Kentucky Sunday night, as the storm moved from the Great Lakes region and Midwest toward the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast

The city’s Fire Department warned in a statement to Facebook, ‘Please stay clear of areas affected by this evening’s weather as many areas around Johnson County have tornado damage.’

Around seven miles southwest in the town of Bargersville, at least 75 homes were damaged after a third tornado struck an area three to four miles in length, bringing down power lines but leaving injured, officials later confirmed at a news conference. 

Officials in the town, another rural community of about 10,000, said they were also working to complete a secondary search of impacted areas.

Another twister stuck Monroe County’s Stanford, downing trees that still needed to be removed Monday. 

The Red Cross has since set up shelters with locals to determine the needs of the three affected communities, as well as surrounding settlements also struck by the severe weather.

It comes after a dozen people were injured after a tornado hit central Mississippi a week ago.

A dangerous heat wave had also recently helped spawn deadly tornadoes in Texas and Florida, where at least four people were killed this month in twisters that touched down in the panhandles of the states. 

Flooding forced almost 150 people out of their homes.

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