3 dead as suspected twisters, other storms batter South
Three people are confirmed dead and a dozen more injured as a powerful storm front packing suspected tornadoes smashed into buildings, downed trees and left a trail of destruction around the Deep South on Monday, authorities said.
One person was reported killed in a suspected tornado strike on a Louisiana home, and two others were reported dead after another storm hit around a community about 55 miles (90 km) west of the north Alabama city of Huntsville.
“The cat flew,” said Tonia Tyler of Pineville, Louisiana. “It picked the cat up, and the cat flew – my cat – it flew across the yard. And I knew right there, I said ‘Oh God, we’re not going to make it.’” The two people killed in Alabama were a husband and wife, Lawrence County Coroner Scott Norwood said. The injured people included a 7-yearold-child who was taken to a hospital in Birmingham, authorities said.
The area was filled with debris and downed trees when first responders arrived. “It was total chaos,” Norwood told reporters. “We had to make due the best we could.”
The storms prompted numerous tornado watches and warnings Monday. Some cities opened shelters as a cold front collided with warmer air over northern Gulf Coast states and temperatures were expected to plunge. The National Weather Service said the severe weather threat could last into Tuesday.
The Louisiana death was attributed to an apparent tornado that struck a residential area in Vernon Parish. Details were not immediately available, said Chief Deputy Calvin Turner. He said authorities feared others could be hurt, since crews were still trying to reach hard-hit areas. (AP)