Tornado kills at least 22
Storms leave trail of destruction across the South
An apparent tornado roared into southeast Alabama and killed at least 22 people and injured several others yesterday, part of a severe storm system that caused catastrophic damage and unleashed other tornadoes around the Southeast.
“We are at 22 right now. Unfortunately, I feel like that number may rise yet again,” Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones said of the death toll.
Drones flying overheard equipped with heat-seeking devices had scanned the area for survivors but the dangerous conditions halted the search, Jones said.
An intense ground search was to resume today.
Jones said the apparent twister travelled straight down a key local artery in Beauregard and that the path of damage and destruction appeared at least 800m wide. He said single-family homes and mobile homes were destroyed, adding some homes were reduced to slabs. He had told reporters earlier that several people were taken to hospitals, some with “very serious injuries”.
Lee County Coroner Bill Harris told the Associated Press that he had to call in help from the state, because there were more bodies than his fourperson office could handle.
Dozens of emergency responders rushed to join search-and-rescue efforts in hard-hit Lee County after what forecasters said they think was a large tornado touched down yesterday, unleashed by a powerful storm system that also slashed its way across parts of Georgia, South Carolina and Florida.
Radar and video evidence showed what looked like a large tornado crossing the area near Beauregard, said meteorologist Meredith Wyatt with the Birmingham office of the National Weather Service.
“It appears it stayed on the ground for at least a mile and maybe longer,” Jones told the AP.
After nightfall, the rain had stopped and pieces of metal debris and tree branches littered roadways in Beauregard.
Two sheriffs’ vehicles blocked reporters and others from reaching the worst-hit area. Power appeared to be out in many places.
President Donald Trump tweeted late Sunday: “To the great people of Alabama and surrounding areas:
Please be careful and safe.
“To the families and friends of the victims, and to the injured, God bless you all!”
Numerous tornado warnings were posted across parts of Alabama, Georgia, Florida and South Carolina yesterday as the powerful storm system raced across the region. Weather officials said they confirmed other tornadoes around the region by radar alone and would send teams out today to assess those and other storms.
In rural Talbotton, Georgia, about 130km south of Atlanta, a handful of people were injured by either powerful straight-line winds or a tornado that destroyed several mobile homes and damaged other buildings, said Leigh Ann Erenheim, director of the Talbot County Emergency Management Agency.
Televised broadcast news footage showed smashed buildings with rooftops blown away, cars overturned and debris everywhere. Trees all around had been snapped bare of branches.
Authorities in southwest Georgia are searching door-to-door in darkened neighbourhoods after a possible tornado touched down in the rural city of Cairo, about 55km north of Tallahassee, Florida.
There were no immediate reports of serious injuries.
The threat of severe weather continued into the late-night hours. A tornado watch was in effect for much of eastern Georgia, including Athens, Augusta and Savannah. The tornado watch also covered a large area of South Carolina, including the cities of Charleston and Columbia.