Governors across the Midwest and South have declared states of emergency as severe weather ripped across the region this weekend resulting in tornadoes and flash flooding. At least 43 people have been reported dead.
Efforts to rebuild will be put on hold; snow storms of epic proportions are expected to hit the region Monday and continue throughout the week. "There will be an ongoing problem for the next 24 hours, but also for the next several days," said Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, according to USA Today.
The massive storm system that spawned the hellish mix of weather stretches from New Mexico to Michigan in the North and as far as Georgia in the South. Regions of Texas are expecting as much as 18 inches of snow, according to NOAA.
Three separate tornadoes ravaged the Dallas-Fort Worth area, killing 11 and damaging hundreds of buildings. One tornado was rated an EF-4, meaning that it had gusts between 166 and 200 mph. Only one other tornado of equal magnitude has struck Dallas since 1950. Garland Police Lt. Pedro Barineau reported that the EF-4 alone accounted for 8 of the 11 Dallas-area deaths, according to CNN.
Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin declared a state of emergency Sunday, warning of not only flooding in the east, but blizzards and ice storm conditions in the west. The state Department of Emergency Management reported that roughly 60,000 homes were without power, according to the Associated Press.
The American Midwest is not the only region affected by 2015's strong El Niño climate. States of emergency have also been declared in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia. Ten other countries have received UN emergency resources due to extreme weather. Michel Jarraud, Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization claimed: "This El Niño is playing out in uncharted territory. Our planet has altered dramatically because of climate change," according to 350.org.
