Mena, Arkansas Tornado Kills Three

Mena, Arkansas was ravaged by a tornado this morning that killed three people and shredded more than 100 homes, according to reports. The tornado also injured 22.

"It looks like a war zone out here," said James Reeves of Polk County's Department of Emergency Management.

The photo seen to the right, courtesy of CNN, depicts a typical scene with debris strewn about in Mena. 

A reporter for KATV, Roger Susanin, stated that, "It came out at about 8:30," he said. "People had described it like a bomb."

Additionally, residents had some warning but were unable to mobilize their preparation methods in time. 

"There were sirens that went off," Susanin said. "There were some tornado warnings earlier in the night, but it was not supposed to hit ground level. No one really had too much time to shutter their homes."

Our thoughts and prayers are with those in Mena this morning.

Earthquake in Italy Leaves 50 Dead, Thousands Homeless

An earthquake in Italy occured around 3:30 AM that registered a 6.3 on the Richter Scale has killed 130 people, injured hundreds and left more than 50,000 people homeless according to global news reports.

L'Aquila, central Italy, was ripped apart by the quake early Monday morning, and while the area is prone to many earthquakes (having had approximately nine smaller ones since April began) this quake clearly caught the residents by surprise, as most were sleeping when the quake hit.

"Some towns in the area have been virtually destroyed in their entirety," said Gianfranco Fini, speaker of the lower house of parliament, as MPs observed a moment of silence.

The full extent of the damage (some pics, courtesy of the Seattle Times) can be seen above and below, although it would appear that the full extent of the quake -- which was felt all the way in Rome -- has continued to rise throughout the day.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who were lost and the people currently suffering.