President Donald Trump on Sunday activated the National Guard in tornado-stricken Arkansas after severe tornadoes and strong winds tore through multiple states over the weekend, claiming at least 37 lives.
Powerful winds swept across the Heartland on Saturday, threatening Missouri, Mississippi, Kansas, Arkansas, Texas, and Oklahoma with tornadoes, causing significant damage to buildings and homes. Meanwhile, northern states like South Dakota and Minnesota were under blizzard warnings.
"We are actively monitoring the severe tornadoes and storms that have impacted many States across the South and Midwest — 36 innocent lives have been lost, and many more devastated," Trump said in a Sunday post on X.
"The National Guard has been deployed to Arkansas, and my Administration is ready to assist State and Local Officials as they help their communities recover from the damage. Please join Melania and me in praying for everyone impacted by these terrible storms!" the president wrote.
The National Guard tweeted that its Arkansas personnel are supporting civilian authorities in providing security and humanitarian assistance to communities affected by tornadoes in central and eastern Arkansas.
Here is the number of deaths by state so far:
- Alabama: 3
- Arkansas: 3
- Mississippi: 6
- Missouri: 12
- Oklahoma: 1
- Texas: 4
- Kansas: 8
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders reported that approximately 50 National Guardsmen and 40 state police officers were on the ground in Arkansas on Sunday.
"As you drive through this community, you see so many neighbors coming out, taking care of each other," Sanders said in a video posted to X. "One of the things that will make you so proud as a governor is to see neighbors helping neighbors, and never is that more true than right here in this community today. We’ve got about 40 state police on the ground in the county, and about 50 National Guardsmen."
In a separate post on X, Sanders mentioned that she spoke with Trump on the phone, who said, "Tell the people of Arkansas he loves them and he and his administration are here to help with whatever we need following last night’s tornadoes."
Missouri resident Dakota Henderson told The Associated Press that he and others helped rescue neighbors trapped under rubble on Friday evening, discovering five bodies in the process.
"It’s really disturbing what happened to the people, the casualties last night," Henderson told AP on Saturday.
Evacuations were ordered Friday for some areas in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, and New Mexico. Strong winds also fueled wildfires in the Southern Plains, while severe storms and tornadoes were possible across eastern Louisiana, western Georgia, central Tennessee, western North Carolina, South Carolina, and the western Florida Panhandle.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Audrey Conklin is a digital reporter for Fox News Digital and FOX Business. Email tips to [email protected] or on Twitter at @audpants.
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