Rescue efforts underway after deadly storm batters US east
Search and rescue teams rummage through debris after a devastating storm killed at least eight people in the eastern United States.
The storm system on Wednesday pounded the Carolinas and Virginia with high winds, hail and heavy rain. Flood warnings were in place from Maryland to Maine.
Reuters reported on Thursday that on top of the fatalities, scores of people were injured across a number of states.
The worst-hit area of Virginia was Waverly, a town about 130 miles (210 km) south of Washington, where a tornado packing winds of up to 110 miles (176 km) per hour carved a path 300 yards (274 meters) wide and nine miles (14.5 km) long.
Two Waverly men and a 2-year-old boy were killed when the twister demolished their mobile home. Their bodies were found about 300 yards (meters) away.
Another man was killed near Appomattox. A state police spokeswoman said a fifth death was still unconfirmed.
National Guard troops were expected to be deployed across the state to clear downed trees and to open roads, officials said. A Virginia emergency management spokesman said at least 40 people had been injured and almost 160 homes or businesses had been destroyed or damaged.
In South Carolina, a man died on Wednesday when he was struck by a falling tree. Tornadoes pummeled Louisiana and Mississippi on Tuesday, killing at least three people there.
In North Carolina, Governor Pat McCrory said about 21,000 homes and businesses were without power, but there had been no reports of serious injuries or deaths.
The National Weather Service said the storm system would continue to push northward into Canada on Thursday. Snow and gusty winds were forecast across part of the Appalachian Mountains, the Great Lakes and New England.
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