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Toddler's Death Brings Toll From Latest Tornadoes To 39

In Henryville, Ind., on Sunday, Janet Clark stood outside what remains of her home, which was destroyed in Friday's tornado.
Scott Olson
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In Henryville, Ind., on Sunday, Janet Clark stood outside what remains of her home, which was destroyed in Friday's tornado.

There's more sad news from the stretch of five states across the Midwest and South that were slammed by tornadoes on Friday.

The death toll is now 39 because 15-month-old Angel Babcock, who had been found in a field near her family's home in New Pekin, Ind., died on Sunday at a hospital in Louisville, Ky. The twister and its hurricane force winds destroyed the Babcock's home, killing Angel's parents, 2-year-old brother and 2-month old sister as well.

As Louisville's Courier-Journal reports this morning, Angel's "family and followers around the world had prayed for a miracle. But in the end, the injuries that [she] sustained in the tornado that ripped through her family's New Pekin, Ind., home on Friday were too much for the little girl to overcome."

The newspaper has a video interview with members of Angel's family posted here.

Across the states hit by Friday's storms — Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia — cleanup continues. In Henryville, Ind., The Associated Press reports:

"Small signs of normalcy slowly began to emerge.

"Utility crews replaced downed poles and restrung electrical lines. Portable cell towers went up, and a truck equipped with batteries, cellphone charging stations, computers and even satellite television was headed to Henryville on Monday."

Erica Peterson reporting on 'Morning Edition'

On Morning Edition, Erica Peterson of NPR member station WFPL in Louisville, reported from Henryville on the storm and its aftermath.

Note: While there were news reports on Saturday that Angel had been found in a field about 10 miles from her home, the latest reports say she was found — as we say above — in a field near her family's home.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Mark Memmott
Mark Memmott is NPR's supervising senior editor for Standards & Practices. In that role, he's a resource for NPR's journalists – helping them raise the right questions as they do their work and uphold the organization's standards.