MEMPHIS, Tenn. – A deadly tornado outbreak spawned more than 20 reports of twisters across the lower and mid-Mississippi Valley on Wednesday and Wednesday night.
At least six people have died in Tennessee due to the severe weather, the state's Department of Health confirmed early Thursday. The storms also injured multiple others and destroyed several homes from Arkansas, Missouri and Tennessee through Kentucky, Illinois and Indiana.
On Thursday, President Donald Trump approved the disaster declaration for all 95 counties in Tennessee, setting in motion FEMA's response to disaster relief across the state.
In Missouri, Whitewater Fire Protection District Chief Garry Moore was killed during severe weather on Wednesday night along Highway 25 between Advance and Delta, Missouri. Cape Girardeau County Coroner Craig Williams told FOX Weather Moore was likely attempting to help a vehicle when he was killed.
A massive tornado was spotted by FOX Weather Storm Tracker Brandon Copic as it roared near Lake City, Arkansas. Authorities issued a Tornado Emergency – the most dire of tornado alerts – for towns in the path of the storm, such as Leachville and Monette.
"You need to be underground," Copic said. "You will not survive this tornado if you are above ground."
And that is just what residents likely did, as local authorities reported fewer than a dozen injured despite significant damage to homes and some businesses in Arkansas.
WATCH: VIOLENT TORNADO CAUSES DAMAGE NEAR LAKE CITY, ARKANSAS
In Potosi, Missouri, firefighters reported responding to several homes that were damaged and people who were trapped, but after clearing the residences, troopers said they had accounted for all local residents.
A National Weather Service survey team found EF-1 tornado damage extending from southwest of Moundville to Nevada to northwest of Walker.
Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Mike McClure told FOX Weather that power lines were brought down inside the city of Nevada, and several businesses, including a hotel, were damaged. Eight train cars were knocked over, and multiple semi-trucks overturned on Interstate 49, according to NWS storm reports.
One injury was also reported after a tornado destroyed a home in Stoddard, Missouri.
CREWS SEARCH FOR STORM VICTIMS IN POTOSI, MISSOURI, AFTER TORNADO STRIKE
Outside of Indianapolis, first responders were seen looking through the debris of a warehouse in Brownsburg, Indiana. Firefighters did not immediately say how many people were unaccounted for in the collapse.
National Weather Service Indianapolis damage survey teams found damage in Brownsburg consistent with an EF-2 tornado based on the Enhanced Fujita Scale.
Western Kentucky also sustained considerable damage, with at least four injuries reported in Ballard County. The severity of the situation prompted the county to declare a local state of emergency. Adding to the concern, a child near Gage, Kentucky, was injured by airborne debris while their family sought refuge from the intense storm.
Multiple structures in Gage, Kentucky, were damaged, and tragically, four people were injured, with one in critical condition, according to NWS storm reports.
The governors of Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas and Wisconsin issued states of emergency, as more than 300,000 customers lost power from the South to the Great Lakes.
NOAA's Storm Prediction Center labeled Wednesday's event as a "Particularly Dangerous Situation," with the threat level reaching a Level 5 out of 5 "high risk" on its severe thunderstorm risk scale.
The high-risk designation marks only the second time this year and the first instance of two such high-risk alerts in a single year since 2021 that a Level 5 threat has been issued. The previous Level 5 alert was issued on March 15 when the National Weather Service confirmed 13 tornadoes, including six powerful EF-3s, which tragically resulted in seven deaths and 12 injuries.
The deadly severe weather system continues to charge east Thursday and is expected to tear across more than a dozen states, from parts of Texas to the densely populated mid-Atlantic and Northeast, placing over 55 million Americans directly in the path of its destructive forces.
DEADLY STORMS CHARGE EAST THREATENING 55 MILLION FROM TEXAS TO NORTHEAST ON THURSDAY
More severe weather is forecast through the end of the week and into the weekend, as well.
The numerous rounds of rain and storms will also lead to potentially generational flooding in the Mississippi and Ohio valleys.
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