Washington — The death toll from severe storms in the Midwest and southern United States has risen to at least 20, according to local media.
In the state of Georgia, a father and his son were killed on Sunday when a falling tree struck them on a golf course, the broadcaster ABC News reported, citing police.
A further 18 storm-related deaths have been reported since Wednesday in Tennessee, Missouri, Kentucky, Indiana, Arkansas and Mississippi. In Tennessee alone, where the city of Selmer was hit by a powerful tornado, 10 people lost their lives.
Nationwide, around 90 tornadoes were recorded by Sunday. After days of heavy rainfall, rivers overflowed in many areas, causing flooding. The weather service warned of life-threatening flood conditions.
Over the weekend, the situation worsened particularly in Kentucky. Governor Andy Beshear declared a state of emergency. In Covington, where the Ohio and Licking rivers meet. Streets were already underwater, as shown in images from local media.
In the state capital Frankfort, the Kentucky River reached a near-record level of almost 15 metres, according to the city administration. The storms also caused power outages.
On Monday, around 80,000 households in the affected states were without electricity, according to the website Poweroutage.us.
Air traffic was also disrupted, with US media reporting around 4,000 delays and 150 flight cancellations on Sunday.
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