Devastating photos of tornado damage

This year alone, dozens of tornados have ripped through swaths of the United States, largely in the southeast. Every year, these twisters devastate homes and businesses, and, of course, take lives.

Here's a closeup look at what a tornado looks like, and what it can do, through a series of photos collected in recent years. A woman takes a picture of a home damaged by a tornado in Mullica Hill, New Jersey on September 2, 2021 after record-breaking rainfall brought by the remnants of Storm Ida. Fallen trees and toppled port-a-potties sit near the National Mall following a severe thunderstorm the night before, on July 2, 2021 in Washington, DC.  A restaurant sign lies on the ground after sustaining damage from a tornado on January 26, 2021 in Fultondale, Alabama.  On March 3, 2021, an east Alabama community marked the second anniversary of a tornado that killed 23 people. A woman holds three dogs by a makeshift leash among the debris left behind by a tornado on February 7, 2017 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Homeowners Joe Arancio, center, and his wife Kathy Arancio, right, describe damage to their home, in Brunswick County, North Carolina. Buildings damaged by a tornado are seen in the Germantown neighborhood following devastating storms on March 3, 2020 in Nashville, Tennessee.  David Lowe carries his daughter's dog Phoebe after the dog was rescued from the rubble of a destroyed home on April 3, 2012 in Arlington, Texas.  A tornado is seen south of Dodge City, Kansas moving north on May 24, 2016.  In this photo taken Tuesday, May 8, 2012, a tattered flag shows a year's worth of wear as it hangs from the remains of a destroyed home in Joplin, Mo.  Damaged utility poles and lines hang above Underwood St. on March 3, 2020 in Nashville, Tennessee.  The destroyed exterior of The Basement East is seen in the East Nashville neighborhood on March 3, 2020 in Nashville, Tennessee.  Here's a view of wreckage left behind in a tornado's path through a residential area on March 4, 2020 in Cookeville, Tennessee.  Rain obscures the view of a tornado on May 28, 2019 in Lawrence, Kansas.  A pickup truck stands destroyed by a tornado on March 4, 2020 in Cookeville, Tennessee.  A cargo truck leans on another vehicle after the area was destroyed by a tornado touchdown March 6, 2019 in Beauregard, Alabama.  This is an aerial view of damage caused by a tornado touchdown at the Buck Wild Saloon on March 5, 2019 in Smiths Station, Alabama.  A girl with her puppy surveys the destruction left behind by a tornado in Havana, Cuba on January 28, 2019.  A man rests on the trunk of a tree that was toppled by a tornado, as he takes a moment to rest from removing rubble from his home in Regla, Cuba, on January 28, 2019. A car overturned by a tornado lies smashed on top of a street pole in Havana, Cuba, on January 28, 2019.  A school bus is pushed through the front of a building after a tornado swept through Henryville, Indiana on March 2, 2012.  From left, Alli Ferrell, 10, and cousin Christian Murray, 12, sit on a front porch, as Lindsey Murray, 15, of Harrisburg, Illinois, paints "for sale fixer upper" on the side of the home of their grandmother, Sharon Murray, 61, after a tornado destroyed the house in Harrisburg, Illinois on February 29, 2012.  Damaged homes are shown at the Ocean Ridge Plantation in Brunswick County, North Carolina on February 17, 2021, after a tornado hit the area the night before. A resident runs past a tornado-damaged building on Main Street in Marshalltown, Iowa on July 19, 2018.  Vickie Savell looks at the remains of her new mobile home early Monday, May 3, 2021 in Yazoo County, Mississippi. People look at a home destroyed by a tornado on April 13, 2020 near Nixville, South Carolina.  A child injured in a tornado receives treatment at a hospital in Brahmanbaria district, Bangladesh, Saturday, March 23, 2013.  Here's a view of a flooded street and damaged homes on West Daisy Place after a tornado struck the previous day on June 23, 2015 in Coal City, Illinois. A utility truck passes a stop sign which was bent over by the high winds of a tornado on DeKalb County Road 878 on November 30, 2016. In this Feb. 2, 2007, photo, an automobile rests next to a home in The Villages, Florida, after strong thunderstorms and a tornado damaged many homes.  Sabrina Mitchell fights back emotions as she searches for her belongings in what was the second floor bedroom of her home after it was destroyed by a tornado on May 24, 2013 in Moore, Oklahoma.  Scott Lawrence of Newnan works on tornado damage to a home on March 26, 2021 in Newnan, Georgia.  A home is shown destroyed by high winds from one of several tornadoes that tore through the state overnight on March 3, 2020 in Cookeville, Tennessee.  Here's an aerial view of Towers Plaza Elementary school after a tornado hit on May 20, 2013, in Moore, Oklahoma. Brittany Brown rushes to get aid after finding her grandmother's cat, "Kitty," who was buried in tornado rubble for two days at the grandmother's destroyed home on, May 22, 2013 in Moore, Oklahoma.  An aerial view of tornado damage shows a neighborhood where some homes were wiped completely off their foundations Tuesday, May 21, 2013, in Moore, Oklahoma. Abby Cotten searches for belongings in a fireplace on May 25, 2013 in Moore, Okla. An old car sits in wrecked tornado debris Thursday, May 23, 2013, in Moore, Okla.  In this May 22, 2011 photo, a man carries a girl who was rescued after being trapped with her mother in their home after a tornado hit Joplin, Missouri. A roof from an adjacent building landed on a pole during a tornado on March 1, 2017 in Perryville, Missouri.  Downed power lines damaged by a storm are seen in the North Nashville neighborhood following devastating tornadoes on March 3, 2020 in Nashville, Tennessee.  Damage is showed at a picnic shelter roof in Brunswick County, North Carolina near the town of Sunset Beach on Wednesday, February 17, 2021.  Amanda Powell surveys the damage to her business, Bertram Blend and Boutique, after a severe thunderstorm on March 23, 2021 in Bertram, Texas.  Robert Alford surveys damage to the office of Bullock, Bennett & Associates, an engineering and environmental consulting business, after a severe thunderstorm on March 23, 2021 in Bertram, Texas.  Here's another view of the damage to Bertram Blend and Boutique.  Volunteers and officials search through the destruction near Van Intermediate School after a tornado on May 11, 2015 in Van, Texas.  A man stands by a overturned motor home on Wednesday, February 17, 2021 at Ocean Ridge Storage Solutions in Brunswick County, North Carolima. A semi was knocked on its side while parked behind the restaurant Grubstakers on IL-64 after a tornado came through the previous night, April 10, 2015, in Rochelle, Illinois.  A dog trapped in tornado rubble in Picher, Oklahoma, tries to climb out of the debris, Monday, May 12, 2008. 

The remnants of Hurricane Ida triggered spectacular flash flooding and a rare state of emergency in New York City. Investigators from the The National Weather Service considered it to be a possible tornado. A tornado ripped through Fultondale, damaging property and leaving one person dead and more than a dozen injured. In this March 4, 2019, file photo, Carol Dean, right, cries and embraces Megan Anderson and her 18-month-old daughter, Madilyn, as Dean sifts through the debris of the home she shared with her husband, David Wayne Dean, who died when a tornado destroyed the house in Beauregard, Ala.  According to the weather service, 25 people were injured in the aftermath of that twister. This photo was taken Wednesday, February 17, 2021, after a tornado hit the area the previous Monday. At least 22 people were reportedly killed after tornadoes ripped across Tennessee the night before, causing widespread damage. Multiple tornadoes touched down across the Dallas-Fort Worth area caused extensive damage. About 30 tornadoes were reported that week, in five different states from Michigan to Texas. Damage to homes and property was also reported in Ford County, Kansas. Reconstruction continued in the community a full year after an EF-5 tornado destroyed a large swath of the city and killed 161 people. A tornado passed through Nashville that morning, leaving a wake of damage in its path including two people killed in East Nashville. At least 22 people were reported killed after tornadoes ripped across Tennessee early that morning, causing widespread damage. A tornado passed through the Nashville area that morning, leaving Putnam County with at least 18 dead. The Midwest saw extensive severe weather that spring, with widespread flooding and multiple tornadoes. By late July 2021, Tennessee had suffered at least 33 tornadoes. Numerous tornadoes were reported in Eastern Alabama and Western Georgia three days earlier, killing at least 23 people. Numerous of tornado touchdowns were reported in Eastern Alabama and Western Georgia two days earlier, killing at least 23 people. A tornado and pounding rain smashed into the eastern part of Cuba's capital the night before, toppling trees as the storm cut a path of destruction across eastern Havana. A tornado and pounding rain smashed into the eastern part of Cuba's capital overnight, flinging shards of metal roofing through the air. The storm also bent power poles. The storm was part of a system that brought high winds and heavy rain to parts of Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee. A tornado struck the small town in southern Illinois, killing six. Murray was not at home at the time of the storm. A prosthetic leg was found among the wreckage. As of late July 2021, tornadoes had killed a reported 13 people in the United States this year. Several buildings were damaged by a tornado in the main business district in town, including the historic courthouse. Multiple tornadoes were reported across Mississippi the day before, causing some damage but no immediate word of injuries. A string of storms across the southern United States that began on Easter Sunday 2020 and continued into the week produced multiple tornados resulting in more than 30 deaths and dozens more injuries. The tornado ripped through 20 villages in eastern Bangladesh, killing almost two dozen people, with another 200 hurt. The prime tornado season in Illinois is March through May. The location: Flat Rock, Alabama. In 2020, Florida alone saw 62 tornadoes. A two-mile wide EF-5 tornado touched down in Moore four days earlier, killing at least 24 people and leaving behind extensive damage to homes and businesses. According to reports, an EF-4 rated tornado had passed through Newnan and parts of nearby Coweta and Heard counties. At least 19 people were killed and scores more injured in those storms. Seven third-grade students were killed. Cleanup continued for two days after the huge tornado roared through the Oklahoma City suburb, flattening a wide swath of homes and businesses. The scene: The tornado-ravaged home she shared with her parents. The huge tornado was later directly blamed for the deaths of 25 people. The death toll from that storm: at least 116 people. At least one person was killed when the tornado crossed Interstate 55. At least 22 people were reportedly killed after tornadoes ripped across Tennessee, causing widespread damage. Officials said a ferocious tornado struck two days earlier, just inland from the barrier island Ocean Isle Beach. No injuries were reported, but a suspected tornado heavily damaged multiple buildings, some of which were more than a century old, in downtown Bertram. The damage was linked to a suspected tornado in downtown Bertram. Seen in this photo: Amanda Powell and Cierra Walters as they survey the damage. The business has since recovered.  The small city was struck by a tornado in the evening of May 10, leaving at least two dead and more missing. In the immediate aftermath of the storm, the Red Cross assisted 45 people in finding new places to live, and navigating insurance.  According to reports, 11 people were injured and one person was killed when tornadoes and thunderstorms passed through the northwestern suburbs of Chicago. The dog was freed soon after.