On Saturday, the death toll from violent storms and storms that hit the United States rose to 18, with seven people killed in the southern state of Tennessee, according to local authorities.
Maggie Hannan, a spokeswoman for the Tennessee disaster management agency, told AFP: "Seven severe storm-related deaths have been recorded in McHenry County." An earlier toll of 11 people was reported in storm-hit states since Friday.
Little Rock residents awoke Saturday to scenes of overturned cars, massive trees, uprooted phone poles, and destroyed homes.
ittle Rock Mayor Frank Scott told reporters: "We know a lot of people have been displaced and are seeking refuge."
Lara Farrar, a journalist for a local business newspaper, told AFP by telephone that she was "shocked" by the scale of the destruction at Little Rock.
"The roofs of some houses were completely destroyed," it said, posting photos of destroyed houses, partially collapsed walls and trees on the ground.
"The neighborhood is completely destroyed," she said, pointing to rubble stretching for about 500 metres.
The northeastern town of Wayne is "roughly divided by east-west damage," Mayor Jennifer Hobbs told CNN.
Sarah Huckabee revealed on Saturday that she had discussed the situation with President Joe Biden the day after she declared a state of emergency and deployed about 100 National Guard members.
Mississippi Disaster Management Services also reported one death and numerous injuries in Pontotoke County, 200 miles south of Memphis.
An elderly man was also killed in Alabama when a tornado hit his home, authorities in the city of Huntsville, near the border with Tennessee, reported.
In the north of the country in the small town of Belvedere west of Chicago, Illinois, part of the roof of a concert hall collapsed after a severe storm passed while the audience watched a performance by a metal band, local media reported.
Belvedere Fire Chief Sean Schadle said one person died and 28 others were injured, including five who were taken to hospital with serious injuries.
Local media reported that more than two dozen ambulances arrived at the site.
Television footage showed evacuations of wounded people on stretchers, while images on social media showed rubble and a large hole in the ceiling.
In the northern state of neighboring Indiana, three people died in a storm in Sullivan County, US media quoted authorities as saying.
Images posted on Twitter showed phone poles, collapsed houses and rubble falling on roads.
At least 200,<> homes were without power on Saturday in Indiana, Arkansas, and Illinois.
The National Weather Service also warned of strong winds and storms that could hit the northeast, especially Ohio, on Saturday.
Hurricanes are a difficult phenomenon to predict and are frequent in the United States, especially in the center and south of the country.
A week ago, a tornado hit Mississippi, killing 25 people and causing extensive property damage. President Joe Biden inspected the site on Friday. (Agencies).