Over 30 tornadoes tear through 6 U.S. states, wreaking deadly havoc
December 13, 2021, 3:31 am

Over 30 tornadoes tear through 6 U.S. states, wreaking deadly havoc

Tornado-Wind shear/Pixabay

The Xinhua reported that The Wall Street Journal quoted Kentucky state officials as saying, search and rescue teams in western Kentucky and nearby states were combing through rubble for survivors on Sunday after a series of tornadoes ripped through the region, killing at least dozens, while the number of deaths in Kentucky alone could exceed 100.

Bill Bunting, the operations chief at the Storm Prediction Center, said that the tornadoes tore through states including Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee. The New York Times (NYT) quoted officials as warning that the toll, now 80 in Kentucky alone, was almost certain to rise as the sifting continued on Sunday.

Representative image-Tornado-The Baltic Sea-Tornadoes/Pixabay

The tornadoes were part of a weather system that was wreaking havoc in many parts of the United States, causing substantial snowfall across parts of the upper Midwest and western Great Lakes. State officials were still assessing the extent of the damage. Power outage has affected at least 77,000 customers in Kentucky and 53,000 in Tennessee.

The National Weather Service has issued several tornado watches and warnings overnight for parts of the Midwest, including Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois and Missouri. In a statement, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas advised residents to stay on alert, as severe weather remains a threat in the southeast United States.

MOST DEVASTATING

On Friday evening, more than 30 separate tornadoes moved with devastating power and speed across six U.S. states stretching from Mississippi in the south to Illinois in the north, killing over 80 people so far, including workers in a candle factory in a flattened Kentucky town, lakeside vacationers in Tennessee and a nursing home resident in Arkansas, reported The Washington Post on Sunday.

Desperate search and rescue operations are unfolding during the weekend. "This has been the most devastating tornado event in our state's history ... the level of devastation is unlike anything I've ever seen," Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear told reporters on Saturday at a late-morning news conference, calling the scale of damage "indescribable."

US tornado/Pixabay

"Last night was one of the most shocking weather events in my 40 years as a meteorologist -- a violent tornado (in December!) drawing comparisons to the deadliest and longest-tracking tornado in U.S. history," tweeted Jeff Masters, a U.S. meteorologist and expert on extreme weather. The longest paths in the disaster on record topped 200 miles.

Calling the tornado "an unimaginable tragedy," U.S. President Joe Biden has declared a federal emergency for Kentucky, freeing up the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) assistance and federally subsidized aid. He said on Saturday that "the federal government will do everything, everything it can possibly do to help."

TORNADO ALLEY

Tornadoes are relatively localized, short-lived weather events. "In recent years tornadoes seem to be occurring in greater 'clusters,' and that a so-called tornado alley in the Great Plains -- where most tornadoes occur -- appears to be shifting eastward," reported NYT on Sunday.

"This is what we would call a tornado outbreak, where you have a storm system which produces a number of tornadoes over a large geographical area," Dan Pydynowski, a senior meteorologist with AccuWeather, was quoted as saying. However, such a large and powerful system in December is highly unusual, and something the region usually experiences in May or April.

"It's certainly not unheard-of," Pydynowski said, "but to have an outbreak of this magnitude, with this many tornado reports -- it's a little unusual for this time of year." He said, temperatures in Arkansas and Kansas on Friday were "spring weather," and "it was unusually warm, and there was moisture in place."

Even though scientists are observing more clusters, the report: "it is unclear the role that climate change plays." "For a lot of our questions about climate change and tornadoes, the answer is we don't know," Harold Brooks, a senior research scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Severe Storms Laboratory, was quoted as saying.

Source: xinhua

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the company’s headquarters in the Seef District.
During the meeting, shareholders approved all items listed on the agenda, including the ratification of the minutes of the previous AGM held on 26 March 2024. The session reviewed and approved the Board’s Annual Report on the company’s activities and financial performance for the fiscal year ended 31 December 2024, and the shareholders expressed their satisfaction with the company’s operational and financial results during the reporting period.
The meeting also reviewed the Independent External Auditor’s Report on the company’s consolidated financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024. Subsequently, the shareholders approved the audited financial statements for the fiscal year. Based on the Board’s recommendation, the shareholders approved the distribution of a cash dividend equivalent to 10% of the paid-up share capital.
Furthermore, the shareholders endorsed the allocation of a total amount of BD 172,500 as remuneration to the members of the Board for the year ended 31 December 2024, subject to prior clearance by related authorities.
The extension of the current composition of the Board was approved, which includes ten members and one CBB observer, for a further six-month term, expiring in September 2025, pending no objection from the CBB.
The meeting reviewed and approved the Corporate Governance Report for 2024, which affirmed the company’s full compliance with the corporate governance directives issued by the CBB and other applicable regulatory frameworks. The AGM absolved the Board Members of liability for any of their actions during the year ending on 31st December 2024, in accordance with the Commercial Companies Law.
In alignment with regulatory requirements, the session approved the reappointment of Ernst & Young (EY) as the company’s External Auditors for the fiscal year 2025, covering both the parent company and its subsidiaries—Sinnad and Bahrain FinTech Bay. The Board was authorised to determine the external auditors’ professional fees, subject to approval from the CBB, and the meeting concluded with a discussion of any additional issues as per Article (207) of the Commercial Companies Law.
Speaking on the company’s performance, Mr. Mohamed Al Bastaki, Chairman BENEFIT , stated: “In terms of the financial results for 2024, I am pleased to say that the year gone by has also been proved to be a success in delivering tangible results. Growth rate for 2024 was 19 per cent. Revenue for the year was BD 17 M (US$ 45.3 Million) and net profit was 2 Million ($ 5.3 Million).

Mr. Al Bastaki also announced that the Board had formally adopted a new three-year strategic roadmap to commence in 2025. The strategy encompasses a phased international expansion, optimisation of internal operations, enhanced revenue diversification, long-term sustainability initiatives, and the advancement of innovation and digital transformation initiatives across all service lines.
“I extend my sincere appreciation to the CBB for its continued support of BENEFIT and its pivotal role in fostering a stable and progressive regulatory environment for the Kingdom’s banking and financial sector—an environment that has significantly reinforced Bahrain’s standing as a leading financial hub in the region,” said Mr. Al Bastaki. “I would also like to thank our partner banks and valued customers for their trust, and our shareholders for their ongoing encouragement. The achievements of 2024 set a strong precedent, and I am confident they will serve as a foundation for yet another successful and impactful year ahead.”
Chief Executive of BENEFIT; Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi commented, “The year 2024 represented another pivotal chapter in BENEFIT ’s evolution. We achieved substantial progress in advancing our digital strategy across multiple sectors, while reinforcing our long-term commitment to the development of Bahrain’s financial services and payments landscape. Throughout the year, we remained firmly aligned with our objective of delivering measurable value to our shareholders, strategic partners, and customers. At the same time, we continued to play an active role in enabling Bahrain’s digital economy by introducing innovative solutions and service enhancements that directly address market needs and future opportunities.”
Mr. AlJanahi affirmed that BENEFIT has successfully developed a robust and well-integrated payment network that connects individuals and businesses across Bahrain, accelerating the adoption of emerging technologies in the banking and financial services sector and reinforcing Bahrain’s position as a growing fintech hub, and added, “Our achievements of the past year reflect a long-term vision to establish a resilient electronic payment infrastructure that supports the Kingdom’s digital economy. Key developments in 2024 included the implementation of central authentication for open banking via BENEFIT Pay”
Mr. AlJanahi concluded by thanking the Board for its strategic direction, the company’s staff for their continued dedication, and the Central Bank of Bahrain, member banks, and shareholders for their valuable partnership and confidence in the company’s long-term vision.