7 killed as tornadoes wreak havoc in Alabama, Georgia
Tens of thousands of residents remain without power across the southern US states
Amassive storm system whipping up severe winds and spawning tornadoes cut a path across the US South, killing at least seven people in Georgia and Alabama, where a twister damaged buildings and tossed cars in the streets of historic downtown Selma.
Early yesterday, tens of thousands of customers remained without power across the two states. In Selma, the city council used lights from cellphones as they held a meeting on the sidewalk to declare a state of emergency on Thursday.
Six of the deaths were recorded in Autauga County, Alabama, where dozens of homes were damaged or destroyed by a tornado that cut a 32km path across two rural communities, said Ernie Baggett, the county’s emergency management director.
At least 12 people were injured severely enough to be taken to hospitals, Baggett said, adding that about 40 homes were destroyed or seriously damaged, including several mobile homes that were launched into the air.
Tree falls on vehicle
In Georgia, a passenger died when a tree fell on a vehicle in Jackson, Butts County Coroner Lacey Prue said. In the same county southeast of Atlanta, the storm appeared to have knocked a freight train off its tracks, officials said.
The tornado that hit Selma cut a wide path through the downtown area, where brick buildings collapsed, trees were uprooted, cars were on their side and power lines were left dangling.
About 22,000 customers were without power in Alabama early yesterday. In Georgia, about 23,000 customers remained without electricity.
Three factors — a natural La Nina weather cycle, warming of the Gulf of Mexico and a decades-long shift of tornadoes from the west to east — came together to make Thursday’s tornado outbreak unusual.