Tornadoes in the United States: cleanup begins after at least 26 deaths in a monster storm

After a monster storm system with multiple tornadoes tore through the Southern and Midwestern states in the United States on Friday, the big cleanup has begun.

At least 26 people were killed as homes were destroyed and malls demolished in Arkansas. Confirmed or suspected tornadoes in at least eight states have destroyed homes and businesses, shattered trees and devastated neighborhoods across much of the country.

The dead included at least nine in a county in Tennessee, four in the small town of Wynne, Arkansas, three in Sullivan, Indiana and four in Illinois.

Other deaths from storms that hit overnight Friday through Saturday were reported in Alabama and Mississippi, as well as one near Little Rock, Arkansas, where city officials said more than 2,600 buildings were in the path of a tornado.

Ashley Macmillan said she, her husband and their children huddled with their dogs in a small bathroom as a tornado passed, “praying and saying goodbye, because we thought we were dead.” A fallen tree seriously damaged their house, but they were not injured.

“We could feel the house shaking, we could hear loud noises, plates rattling. And then it all quieted down,” she said.

The governor of Arkansas declared a state of emergency on Friday, activating National Guard assistance and aid across the state.

The storm came a week after tornadoes tore through Mississippi, killing 26 people.