Several killed in tornado outbreak that has left towns splintered in Mississippi Valley

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – A deadly tornado outbreak has killed at least seven people and spawned more than 30 reports of twisters across the lower and mid-Mississippi Valley on Wednesday.

At least five people have died in Tennessee due to the severe weather, Tennessee officials said Thursday night. That number was one less than the count a Tennessee state representative relayed in a social media post earlier Thursday.

The storms also injured multiple others and destroyed several homes from Arkansas, Missouri and Tennessee through Kentucky, Illinois and Indiana.

LIVE STORM TRACKER: SEVERE WEATHER MAPS, FLOODING FORECASTS, RADARS AND MORE

On Thursday, President Donald Trump approved the disaster declaration for all 95 counties in Tennessee, setting in motion FEMA's response to disaster relief across the state.

In Missouri, Whitewater Fire Protection District Chief Garry Moore was killed while responding to severe weather on Wednesday night along Highway 25 between Advance and Delta, Missouri.

A statement from Whitewater Fire Protection District said the department responded on Wednesday night "to assist with search and rescue efforts due to widespread damage from a presumed tornado."

"During the response, Chief Moore observed a vehicle off the roadway and stopped to assess the incident and render aid if needed," the statement said. "A short time later, Chief Moore was found unconscious at the scene."

Hendricks County Sheriff's Office officials in Indiana said a 27-year-old Danville man was killed during the storm when his vehicle ran over downed powerlines. At some point, the driver got out of the car and came into contact with the live power lines, deputies said.

A massive tornado was spotted by FOX Weather Storm Tracker Brandon Copic as it roared near Lake City, Arkansas. Authorities issued a Tornado Emergency – the most dire of tornado alerts – for towns in the path of the storm, such as Leachville and Monette.

"You need to be underground," Copic said. "You will not survive this tornado if you are above ground."

And that is just what residents likely did, as local authorities reported fewer than a dozen injured despite significant damage to homes and some businesses in Arkansas. 

WATCH: VIOLENT TORNADO CAUSES DAMAGE NEAR LAKE CITY, ARKANSAS

FOX Weather Correspondent Robert Ray spoke to some tornado survivors in Monette who waited out the storm. It's the second tornado in the agricultural area in Arkansas since 2021.

In Potosi, Missouri, firefighters reported responding to several homes that were damaged and people who were trapped, but after clearing the residences, troopers said they had accounted for all local residents.

A National Weather Service survey team found EF-1 tornado damage extending from southwest of Moundville to Nevada to northwest of Walker. 

Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Mike McClure told FOX Weather that power lines were brought down inside the city of Nevada, and several businesses, including a hotel, were damaged. Eight train cars were knocked over, and multiple semi-trucks overturned on Interstate 49, according to NWS storm reports.

One injury was also reported after a tornado destroyed a home in Stoddard, Missouri.

CREWS SEARCH FOR STORM VICTIMS IN POTOSI, MISSOURI, AFTER TORNADO STRIKE

Outside of Indianapolis, first responders were seen looking through the debris of a warehouse in Brownsburg, Indiana. Firefighters did not immediately say how many people were unaccounted for in the collapse.

National Weather Service Indianapolis damage survey teams found damage in Brownsburg consistent with an EF-2 tornado based on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. 

Western Kentucky also sustained considerable damage, with at least four injuries reported in Ballard County. The severity of the situation prompted the county to declare a local state of emergency. Adding to the concern, a child near Gage, Kentucky, was injured by airborne debris while their family sought refuge from the intense storm.

Multiple structures in Gage, Kentucky, were damaged, and tragically, four people were injured, with one in critical condition, according to NWS storm reports.

HOW TO WATCH FOX WEATHER

The governors of Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas and Wisconsin issued states of emergency, as more than 300,000 customers lost power from the South to the Great Lakes. 

NOAA's Storm Prediction Center labeled Wednesday's event as a "Particularly Dangerous Situation," with the threat level reaching a Level 5 out of 5 "high risk" on its severe thunderstorm risk scale.

The high-risk designation marks only the second time this year and the first instance of two such high-risk alerts in a single year since 2021 that a Level 5 threat has been issued. The previous Level 5 alert was issued on March 15 when the National Weather Service confirmed 13 tornadoes, including six powerful EF-3s, which tragically resulted in seven deaths and 12 injuries.