FOR THE WEEK OF MAY 05, 2014

Nature’s fury: Tornadoes reshape landscape and lives across the South

A series of strong twisters brought death and destruction to parts of the South and Midwest last week as violent weather pulverized homes in half a dozen states from Iowa to Tennessee. At least three dozen deaths were reported from as many as 90 tornadoes. Damaged buildings include a hospital in Louisville, Miss., where winds knocked down two walls and tore holes in the roof. Wind speeds in Tennessee reportedly exceeded 190 mph.

"All homes gone" said a National Weather Service bulletin for a community in Lincoln County, Tenn. President Obama declared a major disaster in Arkansas and ordered federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts in a county hit by tornadoes, other severe storms and flooding. Later in the week, heavy rain flooded parts of Florida's Panhandle and Alabama. Nearly 2 feet of rain fell in about 24 hours, knocking out power and causing damage in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties in this state. Some people were rescued from rooftops.

A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that emerges from what;s called a supercell thunderstorm. When cold, dry air pockets in the upper atmosphere meet humid, warm air below, that raises the risk of tornadoes – which typically occur in spring. "We're on a part of the planet where these ingredients can come together sometimes very quickly," says weather expert Ernest Agee, a professor at Purdue University in Indiana. "Other places have tornadoes, but not as many." Twisters extend between the ground and a cloud, usually a cumulonimbus cloud. Most last for less than 10 minutes, though large ones can spin a half-hour. They can be more than two miles wide and race across land for dozens of miles.

Presidential message: "Your country will be there to help you recover and rebuild as long as it takes."

Survivor says: "It makes you just take a breath. It makes you pay attention to life." – Kenneth Billingsley of Louisville, Miss.

Tenn. official says: "This is the worst this area has been hit in many years." – Chelsea Bobo of Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office

Front Page Talking Points Archive

Common Core State Standard
SL.CCS.1/2/3/4 Grades 6-12: An essay of a current news event is provided for discussion to encourage participation, but also inspire the use of evidence to support logical claims using the main ideas of the article. Students must analyze background information provided about a current event within the news, draw out the main ideas and key details, and review different opinions on the issue. Then, students should present their own claims using facts and analysis for support.