Dangerous tornadoes struck parts of the South and Midwest over the weekend, causing damage to property, homes, businesses and tragically resulting in at least 32 deaths.

  • 50 tornadoes were confirmed to have touched down over several states.

The mayor of Wynne, Arkansas – a town of 8,300 people – told CNN that it will take “resources beyond our means to recover.”

  • Arkansas, Indiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee and Delaware were the targets of some of the worst storms.

PPAI Media has heard from a few member promo companies who were located in or near a storm’s path, confirming their safety and the status of their business.

  • If your company was affected by severe weather relating to these catastrophic storms and would like to inform PPAI’s membership – even to just update readership on potential business delays – contact JonnyA@ppai.org.

‘We Were Very Lucky’

Memphis, Tennessee, braced for the worst last weekend, and while the city did not get hit by the level of extreme weather that some surrounding areas did, the severity of the storms it did receive still left the city damaged and many people and businesses vulnerable.

“We are fine,” says Elizabeth Tate, CEO of Signet Inc, located in Memphis. “No damage at all. Tornadoes went to the north and south of us.”

  • All of Signet’s employees are safe and accounted for, but the storms still inconvenienced some.

“We were very lucky,” Tate says. “None of our employees were affected, either. A couple lost power, but only for about six or seven hours.”

  • Champion Promotion, also in Memphis, was back up and running after the storm threatened to disrupt business.

“We are well, and other than a short power outage, there was no damage to our facility or the homes of our team,” Champion Promotions’ senior sales support reports.

  • The images of a tornado’s aftermath in and around Little Rock, Arkansas, are devastating.
  • Over 50 people were injured in the city, and one person lost their life.
  • The National Weather Service indicated the tornado was a high-end EF3 tornado with wind speeds up to 165 miles per hour.

Custom Advertising Products, through sheer luck, remained out of the tornado’s direct path.

“We are OK,” Custom Advertising Products’ owner, Curtis Griffith says. “[The tornado] started in front of our office but went northeast of us. No damage.”

More Storms To Come

Unfortunately, regions and cities still recovering from this weekend may only have hours to prepare for another potential tornado outbreak.

  • Some of the same states previously affected could see extreme weather Tuesday into Wednesday.
  • The most probable locations for damaging weather are reportedly Iowa, Illinois, Missouri and Arkansas.
  • Intense weather in the Midwest could begin in the early afternoon.
  • Tornadoes could become a threat in the South later in the day.

If power outages or logistical issues cause business delays or other problems in the aftermath of storms this week, you can contact JonnyA@ppai.org in order to potentially update the promo community.