Severe hurricanes have wreaked havoc across the southern United States, claiming at least 15 lives over the weekend.
The states of Texas, Arkansas, and Oklahoma were hit hardest by the devastating storms.
Fatalities and Destruction
In Cooke County, Texas, seven people were killed, including two young children aged two and five, according to Sheriff Ray Sappington. Another five deaths were reported in Arkansas, and two in Oklahoma.
The storms began on Saturday evening and led to the formation of at least one tornado, which overturned mobile homes and semi-trailers in Texas and left hundreds of thousands of homes without power, reports Tagesschau.
It was not until daybreak on Sunday that the full extent of the destruction became apparent.
"There is only a swath of rubble left," said Sheriff Sappington.
Emergency services are still engaged in search and rescue operations, working to locate survivors and provide aid.
In Arkansas, near the heavily affected town of Valley View in Texas, dozens of people sought refuge in a rest stop bathroom as the storm raged on.
Hugo Parra, one of those affected, described how 40 to 50 people watched together as the storm tore away the roof and walls. Metal bars were twisted, cars in the parking lot were wrecked, and several people sustained injuries.
Just a week earlier, five people died in tornadoes in Iowa. In addition to the storms, people in South Texas suffered through record-breaking heat over the weekend.
Experts blame climate change for the increase in extreme weather events.
