Us Tornado Loss Toll Increases
by One of the deadliest tornadoes ever to cut a path across part of the United States is now being blamed for another seven deaths.
A spokeswoman for the central U.S. city of Joplin, Missouri says the death toll from last Sunday’s tornado has risen to 139.
The newly identified victims include teenager Will Norton. Family members had been searching for Norton until late Friday night. They said he had been sucked out of his father’s vehicle as the pair drove home following Norton’s high school graduation ceremony.
At least 100 people are still missing from the city of 50,000. And officials say the bodies of some victims are so badly damaged they will have to use DNA and dental records to identify them.
Rescue crews in Joplin continue to sort through the rubble, looking for possible victims.
The tornado tore through Joplin with winds surpassing 300 kilometers an hour, tearing apart homes and buildings, crushing cars and snapping trees.
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The National Weather Service says the tornado was the deadliest to hit the U.S. since 1947 and has made this the deadliest year for tornadoes since 1950.
In an effort to begin the healing process, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon has declared Sunday a “State Day of Prayer and Remembrance.”
U.S. President Barack Obama plans to travel to Joplin on Sunday to speak with people affected by the tornado and to local officials about response efforts. He has pledged that the government will do everything it can to help people recover and rebuild.
The president says the damage in Joplin is comparable to and may exceed the devastation suffered by the southern city of Tuscaloosa, Alabama during deadly tornadoes and thunderstorms last month.
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