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A deadly storm system spanning over 650 miles struck the southern United States from Houston to the Florida Panhandle. In Scott County, Mississippi, one person was killed and at least one more was injured in Grenada County. At least 72 homes were damaged in several counties, resulting in around 32,000 power outages. Fallen trees led to road closures in Hinds and Yazoo counties. A massive flood hit New Orleans, Louisiana, on Wednesday, April 10, as heavy rains inundated the city within hours. Some areas of the city received over two inches of rain in an hour, overwhelming the drainage systems. In some southern Louisiana areas, up to 10 inches of rain fell in a day. New Orleans International Airport received inches of rain in just seven hours. Flights were delayed, and bus and streetcar services were suspended. Numerous roads and underground passages in the city and its surroundings were flooded and impassable. Most city schools and administrative buildings were closed due to severe weather conditions. The National Weather Service called the situation an “extreme flood.“ In addition to heavy rains, the city was hit by destructive winds, with gusts reaching up to 78 miles per hour. In St. Landry Parish, four people were injured when a tree fell on their car. One of the injured was seriously wounded and hospitalized. Several tornadoes swept through Louisiana. An EF-2 tornado passed near Lake Charles with wind speeds of 115 miles per hour, tearing off roofs and destroying power lines. In Slidell, St. Tammany Parish, and its surroundings, an EF-1 tornado damaged hundreds of homes and businesses, resulting in over 100,000 power outages. Emergency services had to rescue people trapped in a severely damaged house. Around 50 people were injured, with one person hospitalized with a head injury. Extreme flooding also hit Texas. The National Weather Service reported that some parts of eastern Texas received 12 inches of rain within 36 hours. In the cities of Kirbyville and Port Arthur, heavy rain caused a sharp rise in water levels in local water bodies, leading to road, home, and business flooding, and school closures. Water rescue operations were necessary. Firefighters rescued a young man from a nearly submerged car, while their own equipment became stuck in floodwaters. “We are waiting for a front-end loader to push us so we can continue water rescue operations,“ said one rescuer. Rescue efforts were needed not only for people but also for animals. On a farm in Kirbyville, a man rescued horses that were neck-deep in water in a flooded barn. An EF-1 tornado with a maximum wind speed of 90 miles per hour caused damage in Katy, Texas. The tornado traveled less than 2 miles but destroyed several buildings in its path. Another tornado touched down in Chuncheon, Alabama, damaging a home. The relatively short-lived EF-1 tornado had a maximum wind speed of around 100 miles per hour. This outbreak of severe weather was classified as a serial derecho. Serial derechos are a type of severe convective storm that covers a large area, over 240 miles long, with wind gusts exceeding 58 miles per hour. In recent years, severe convective storms have caused the highest economic losses from natural disasters in North America. According to NOAA data, the number of storms in the United States causing over a billion dollars in damage is rapidly increasing. The year 2023 set a record in this regard. For the development of this situation in the coming years and how society can avoid a planetary catastrophe, see the forum “Global Crisis. The Responsibility.“
