More than 20 people die from storms in the Midwest

The Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Deanne Criswell on Sunday said that FEMA was working with Oklahoma, Texas, and Arkansas to provide relief where storms struck communities with heavy rain, high-speed winds, and tornadoes. Much of the Midwest saw extreme weather over the weekend. Officials reported numerous fatalities and injuries related to the weather. The storms also caused widespread power outages while destroying and damaging property. Almost all of Kentucky also experienced severe weather and a few possible tornadoes.

Where were these deaths? Officials in each state reported the following death tolls:

• Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders confirmed on Sunday that eight people died in her state.

• Texas Gov. Greg Abbott confirmed on Sunday that seven people had died in his state.

• Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said on Monday that four people died in his state.

• The Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management reported on Sunday that two people had died in the state.

What are state officials doing? Sanders declared a state of emergency for Arkansas through June 9, 2024, and allotted $250,000 in disaster recovery aid. Beshear on Monday also declared a state of emergency for all of Kentucky. More than a third of Texas’ roughly 250 counties are under a state of emergency declaration as well, Abbott said.

Dig deeper: Listen to Javier Bolaños’ report on The World and Everything in It podcast about Christians in Mexico helping clean up after Hurricane Otis.