Tornado and oil spill in Mayflower, Arkansas

Less than a month after an Exxon oil spill brought crude oil flowing down residential streets and through the yards of homeowners in the small town of Mayflower, Arkansas; tragedy struck again - this time in the form of a tornado.

The tornado (an EF-5), which touched down late yesterday afternoon, stayed on the ground for nearly two hours and carved a path across Arkansas over 60 miles in length. In the process, the tornado caused at least sixteen deaths and seems to have destroyed large portions of the town of Mayflower, Arkansas which lies northwest of Little Rock, Arkansas.

These photos show what remains of large portions of the small town. Take a step back for a moment and imagine what your reaction would be if everything around you was destroyed in seconds, your home reduced to splintered sticks. Now factor in the loss of life. Suddenly your Monday morning looks pretty damn good.