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At least 39 dead after tornadoes, wildfires and dust storms wreak havoc across multiple US states

TYLERTOWN, Miss. (AP) 鈥 Unusually vicious and damaging weather across multiple U.S. states spawned violent tornadoes, blinding dust storms and fast-moving wildfires over the weekend, leaving at least 39 people dead.
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Hailey Hart, 21, right, hugs a friend, Sage Falgoust, 16, after recalling how she, her fiancee and their dogs rode out Saturday's tornado in their 1994 Toyota automobile, Sunday, March 16, 2025, in Tylertown, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

TYLERTOWN, Miss. (AP) 鈥 Unusually across multiple U.S. states spawned violent tornadoes, blinding dust storms and fast-moving wildfires over the weekend, leaving at least 39 people dead.

In the latest tally of the destruction, the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management said Sunday evening that more than 400 homes were damaged as wildfires swept across the state Friday. At least 74 homes in and around Stillwater were destroyed by wildfires, Mayor Will Joyce said Sunday night on Facebook.

The emergency management department also said the Oklahoma Office of the Chief Medical Examiner confirmed four fatalities related to the fires or high winds.

The National Weather Service said weekend tornado watches had mostly expired, but dangerous winds were still possible in the Carolinas, east Georgia and northern Florida through Sunday.

In Mississippi, Hailey Hart and her fianc茅 Steve Romero hunkered down with their three huskies inside their 1994 Toyota Celica as a tornado ripped apart their home Saturday in Tylertown.

Romero said he prayed out loud and hugged Hart as the car rolled onto its side, windows shattering, before it landed on its wheels again. After the twister passed, they could hear people nearby screaming for help.

鈥淚t was a bad dream come true,鈥 Romero said.

Next door, Hart鈥檚 grandparents crawled out from the rubble of their destroyed house after they sought shelter in a bathroom as falling trees collapsed the roof.

鈥淓verything was coming down on us,鈥 said Donna Blansett, Hart鈥檚 grandmother. 鈥淎ll I could do was pray to God to save us.鈥

They escaped with just a few scratches and aches. Family members, friends and volunteers spent Sunday removing debris and salvaging anything they could find, including some damp clothes, a photo album and a few toiletries.

鈥淚鈥檓 so happy you鈥檙e alive,鈥 Hart said through tears, as she embraced her grandmother on Sunday.

Forecasters warned of dangerous conditions that turned deadly

The dynamic storm that began Friday earned an unusual 鈥渉igh risk鈥 designation from weather forecasters. Still, experts said it鈥檚 not unusual to see such .

President Donald Trump said in a post on his social media network that his administration is ready to assist affected communities.

鈥淧lease join Melania and me in praying for everyone impacted by these terrible storms!鈥 he posted Sunday.

At least three people, including an 82-year-old woman, were killed in central Alabama when multiple tornados swept across the state.

In Troy, Alabama, parks officials said the recreation center where many residents had taken refuge had to be closed due to damage from overnight storms. No one was injured.

鈥淲e are thankful the Lord provided protection over our community, and over 200 guests at the Recreation Center storm shelter on Saturday night," the parks department said in a statement.

Fatalities from twisters in battered Missouri reach 12

Missouri resident Dakota Henderson said he and others rescuing trapped neighbors found five bodies scattered in rubble Friday night outside what remained of his aunt鈥檚 house in hard-hit Wayne County. Scattered twisters in the state, authorities said.

鈥淚t鈥檚 really disturbing for what happened to the people, the casualties last night," Henderson said Saturday, not far from the splintered home he said they rescued his aunt through a window of the only room left standing.

Coroner Jim Akers of Butler County, Missouri, described the home where one man was killed as 鈥渏ust a debris field.鈥

鈥淭he floor was upside down,鈥 he said. 鈥淲e were walking on walls.鈥

Deaths in Mississippi and Arkansas

In Mississippi, Gov. Tate Reeves announced that six people died and more than 200 were displaced after tornadoes sowed devastation across three counties. And in the northern part of the state, roads were inundated and some people were stranded by flood waters.

One of the deaths occurred in Covington County, where Seminary resident Traci Ladner said she watched a tornado knock down trees and power lines and destroy a house Saturday as she drove home from Ward鈥檚 Restaurant.

The twister touched down briefly, traveled over Highway 49 and then went back up before making another quick descent, she said.

鈥淚 was crying. My legs were shaking. It was pretty scary,鈥 she said.

In Arkansas, officials confirmed three deaths.

Wildfires and dust storms drive up the death toll

Wind-driven wildfires caused extensive damage in Texas and Oklahoma and officials warned Sunday that parts of both states would again face an increased risk of fire danger in the coming week.

More than 130 fires were reported across Oklahoma, Gov. Kevin Stitt said.

鈥淣obody has enough resources to fight fires when the wind is blowing 70 mph,鈥 said Terry Essary, the fire chief of Stillwater, Oklahoma. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an insurmountable task.鈥

Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management spokesperson Keli Cain said Sunday that two people were killed as a result of the wildfires and weather.

Meanwhile, dust storms spurred by high winds claimed almost a dozen lives on Friday. Eight people died in a Kansas highway pileup involving at least 50 vehicles, according to the state highway patrol. Authorities said three people also were killed in car crashes during a dust storm in Amarillo, in the Texas Panhandle.

___

Reynolds reported from Louisville, Kentucky. Hannah Schoenbaum in Salt Lake City, Utah; Bruce Shipkowski in Toms River, New Jersey; Jeff Roberson in Wayne County, Missouri; Gene Johnson in Seattle; Janie Har in San Francisco and Christopher Weber in Los Angeles contributed.

Sara Cline And Rebecca Reynolds, The Associated Press

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