At least 5 killed in storms across South
OHATCHEE, Ala. – Tornadoes and severe storms tore through the Deep South, killing at least five people as winds splintered trees, wrecked homes and downed power lines.
Multiple twisters sprang from a “super cell” of storms that rolled over western Georgia early Friday after spawning as many as eight tornadoes in Alabama on Thursday, said John De Block, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Birmingham.
One tornado moved through Newnan, Georgia, destroying homes and damaging others in surrounding communities west of Atlanta, meteorologists said. A day earlier, a tornado formed in southwest Alabama and carved up the ground for more than an hour, traveling about 100 miles and causing damage in Centreville, south of Tuscaloosa.
De Block said it dissipated in Shelby County, where another twister had already damaged homes and businesses and devastated landscape. The county is home to suburban Birmingham cities such as Pelham and Helena and the unincorporated subdivision of Eagle Point – all suffering heavy damage.
Another of the eight suspected tornadoes that hit the state killed five people in Calhoun County.
“Five people lost their lives and for those families, it will never be the same,” Calhoun County Sheriff Matthew Wade said.
Coroner Pat Brown identified them Friday to Al.com as Joe Wayne Harris, 74; Barbara Harris, 69; Ebonique Harris, 28; Emily Myra Wilborn, 72; and James William Geno, 72.
Stephen Brown, fire chief in the city of Newnan said rescue teams were checking every structure and assessing the destruction. They’ve found “heavy, heavy damage” in parts of the city’s historic district, he said.
“It’ll never look the same,” Brown said. But he also complimented the resiliency of the community. “They’re out. They’re working. Family members are coming out there and they’re already on their own doing the cleanup.”
The bad weather stretched across the southern U.S., raising concerns of thunderstorms and flooding in parts of Tennessee, Kentucky and the Carolinas. Emergency responders hospitalized one person in Sumner County, Tennessee, and the Nashville Fire Department posted photos on Twitter showing large trees down, damaged homes and streets blocked by debris.
More than 150,000 people were without power Friday in Ohio and Pennsylvania after 50 mph wind gusts ripped across the region. Forecasters reported peak gusts of 63 mph in Marysville, Ohio. Some 23,000 customers remained without electricity in Alabama, according to poweroutage.us.
In Pelham, Alabama, James Dunaway said he initially ignored the tornado warning on his phone, but then he heard a twister approaching. He had just enough time to leave the upstairs bedroom where he had been watching television for an interior hallway before the roof and sides of his house blew off. His bedroom was left fully exposed.
“I’m very lucky to be alive,” Dunaway, 75, told Al.com.