At least nine people were killed by tornadoes that swept through the Southeast United States on Friday, according to reports from local officials. Tens of thousands of people lost power as a result of the storms, and the death toll in hard-hit central Alabama is anticipated to grow.
The storms on Thursday were widespread and reached as far as Georgia from Mississippi. Jessica Laws, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, has confirmed that there were at least five tornadoes that touched down in central Alabama. She stated that one of those twisters might have traveled approximately 150 miles (241 km) from southwest Selma, Alabama, to the state line between Georgia and Alabama.
According to statements made by the emergency management director Ernie Baggett on MSNBC, search and rescue crews were actively looking for those who had gone missing in Autauga County, which is located in the state of Alabama. He gave appreciation to the schools for saving more lives by preventing the early release of children.
Reuters reported that the county coroner, Buster Barber, predicted an increase in the number of fatalities. During the phone interview, he stated, “We are finding more bodies as we speak.” We now have search teams actively looking in the region.
Residents appeared noticeably shaken by the event, and many of them expressed gratitude that they were still alive after it. When asked about her experience, one woman started crying as she detailed waiting out the storm in her bathtub. She stated that the winds uprooted her trailer, thereby destroying everything that was inside.
Ray Hogg stated that he took refuge inside a country club during the shooting. He reported that you could hear the roar and that glass was flying everywhere. It seemed like the roof was being ripped off right over our heads, and you could hear the sound of it.
Officials have confirmed that four tornadoes touched down in Georgia, most of which occurred southeast of Atlanta but caused damage across the state. The winds caused damage across the state, including the tearing off of roofs, the destruction of homes, and the uprooting of trees.
A freight train had three of its carriages blasted off the tracks just to the southeast of Atlanta, which caused a traffic jam in the area. According to the officials, there are no reports of anyone being injured due to that occurrence.
On Thursday, Governor Kay Ivey of Alabama issued a state of emergency for six counties in the form: of Autauga, Chambers, Coosa, Dallas, and Elmore. Tallapoosa County was not included in the declaration.
According to PowerOutage.us, on Friday there were about 20,000 people in Alabama who did not have access to electricity. The adjacent states of Mississippi and Georgia both experienced power disruptions as a result of the hurricane.
According to reports from local news outlets, tornado sirens in Monroe County, which is located in the northeastern part of Mississippi and was the location where a tornado made landfall, did not activate when the storm swept through the area. According to the county sheriff’s office, storms may have caused damage to as many as fifty different properties in Autauga County.
The death toll from Thursday’s storms in Georgia has been verified at two, according to Governor Brian Kemp. Butts County Coroner Lacey Prue stated that a tree that fell on a car while the occupants were traveling home caused the death of a child who was 5 years old. The accident also left an adult passenger in critical condition.
According to Kemp, another person who worked for the state was killed while responding to the hurricane. Images captured during the heavy storms showed widespread destruction in Selma, which played an important role in the civil rights movement in the United States. A tornado caused damage by ripping off roofs and throwing debris. There was widespread property damage, including the destruction of homes and businesses, and uprooted trees.
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