JACKSON, Miss. — Strong storms pounding the Deep South have killed at least 30 people in Mississippi, Georgia, Arkansas and South Carolina.
Dozens more have been pulled from damaged buildings and taken to hospitals.
Many states were under flash flood, tornado and thunderstorm warnings and watches overnight.
Nearly 1.3 million customers are without electricity as a result of the storms.
The Chattanooga, Tennessee area appears particularly hard-hit, with search and rescue teams responding to hundreds of calls for help.
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said when he declared a state of emergency that “this is not how anyone wants to celebrate Easter.”
The National Weather Service tallied hundreds of reports of downed trees, many puncturing roofs and damaging power lines.
The storm front is moving now into the mid-Atlantic states.