SEE IT: Tornado wreaks havoc in Little Rock, Arkansas

Misty Severi

March 31, 07:34 PM March 31, 07:34 PM

A tornado devastated a suburb of Little Rock, Arkansas, and left approximately 600 people injured Friday afternoon.

The National Weather Service issued a tornado-related emergency for portions of the metro area of Little Rock, stating that a "damaging tornado" was moving through the area.

BIDEN APPROVES DISASTER DECLARATION FOR MISSISSIPPI STORM THAT KILLED AT LEAST 26

The Little Rock Fire Department also reported heavy damage and debris in the western part of the city, and firefighters were performing rescue operations in the area, according to the department's Facebook page. No fatalities have been reported so far.

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Medical Center is operating as a Level III mass casualty center and expecting at least 15 to 20 patients from the tornado, spokeswoman Leslie Taylor told the . Several people had already been transported to the medical center, but the exact count is unclear.

Nearly 70,000 people in Arkansas were without power on Friday afternoon, according to Poweroutage.us. Another 32,000 were without power in Oklahoma, which borders the state. Approximately 350,000 people were in the tornado's possible path, according to the weather service.

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R-AR) signed an executive order to allocate $250,000 from the governor's disaster response fund to be used in the aftermath of the tornado.

The disastrous tornado comes as a total of 15 states were under weather alerts in the Midwest and South. More than 85 million people were affected. The storms, which did not all include tornadoes, could have also caused hail and strong wind gusts.

President Joe Biden visited Mississippi on Friday to survey the damage from a different storm and issued a disaster declaration for the state after the string of severe storms left at least 26 dead. It is not clear whether the president has any plans to stop in Arkansas.

Mississippi tornado storm leaves at least 23 dead and four missing

Asher Notheis

March 25, 09:33 AM March 25, 09:33 AM

At least 23 people are dead in the wake of a severe tornado storm in Mississippi, with at least four other people missing.

The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency made the announcement on Saturday morning, with the number of both deaths and missing people expected to increase.

TERRIFYING MOMENT LA METEOROLOGIST COLLAPSES ON-AIR DURING WEATHER REPORT

"We have numerous local and state search and rescue teams that continue to work this morning," the agency wrote on social media. "A number of assets are on the ground to assist those that have been impacted."

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves (R) took to social media on Saturday morning to share his sorrow regarding the storm's victims, adding that search and rescue teams are still active.

"The loss will be felt in these towns forever," Tate wrote. "Please pray for God’s hand to be over all who lost family and friends."

Amory Mayor Cory Glenn said on Saturday that everyone in the city has "thus far" been accounted for, according to WHD News.

"A devastating storm, but we're resilient people, and we'll overcome," Glenn said.

Both Amory's Police and Fire Departments have warned residents the city's Water Department suffered a direct hit from the tornado on Friday and that residents should boil their own water until the departments give the all-clear.

"ALSO, please consider any downed power lines as active or live and avoid them!" A statement on the Amory Fire Department's page read. "Please remain off of the roads so that first responders can perform their jobs!"