"The right hand of the Lord has struck with power,” the psalmist proclaims during the Mass of Easter Day. Tornados struck with devastating power last weekend as severe storms cut a deadly swath across 15 states. At least 47 lives were lost in one of the worst spring weather systems in U.S. history.

Hardest hit was North Carolina, where at least 25 tornados touched down Saturday. The toll in North Carolina included 24 fatalities, 133 injuries, 439 homes destroyed, and nearly 6,200 other homes with significant damage, according to state emergency officials. Ten of the hardest-hit counties in the state have been designated federal disaster areas.

The suffering is not over either. Severe thunderstorms and dozens of tornados ripped across the Midwest and South midweek, bringing wind gusts and hail, snapping trees, and damaging houses. AccuWeather senior meteorologist Henry Margusity said that due to prevailing weather patterns he expects up to 300 tornadoes could affect a region from eastern Oklahoma to northern Mississippi, Tennessee, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois over the next two weeks.

Source: Colleen Jenkins and Tim Ghianni for Reuters and the Associated Press