Storms, tornadoes kill at least 45 in Alabama
BIRMINGHAM, Ala |
(Reuters) - Tornadoes and storms killed 45 people in Alabama on Wednesday bringing the total dead in storms and flooding across the U.S. South to at least 72 people over the last three days, authorities said.
The violent storms included what may be the worst ever twister to hit Alabama. It killed 15 people as it ripped through the university city of Tuscaloosa, crushing houses, picking up cars and uprooting trees by the hundreds.
"Everybody says it (a tornado) sounds like a train and I started to hear the train," Anthony Foote, a resident of Tuscaloosa whose house was badly damaged, told Reuters. "I ran and jumped into the tub and the house started shaking. Then glass started shattering."
Deaths occurred in Arkansas and Mississippi, where 11 were killed in each state, and also in Louisiana, Georgia and Tennessee. But Alabama appeared the hardest hit.
The Alabama Emergency Management Agency (AEMA) confirmed 45 storm-related deaths in nine different counties across the northern and central parts of the state, with at least nine people also injured, authorities said.
Authorities there and in Mississippi said they expect the toll to rise as emergency workers attempt rescues and recovery in the storm's wake.
Tornadoes are a regular feature of life in the South and Midwest but rarely are they so devastating.
President Barack Obama declared a state of emergency for Alabama and ordered federal aid for the stricken state.
"While we may not know the extent of the damage for days, we will continue to monitor these severe storms across the country and stand ready to continue to help the people of Alabama and all citizens affected by these storms," Obama said in a statement on Wednesday night.
Governors in Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee also declared a state of emergency.
Alabama Governor Robert Bentley mobilized around 1,400 National Guardsmen and said they would be on the ground early on Thursday to help with search and rescue, logistics and debris removal, a statement from his office said.
"These guardsmen are well trained and will take every action necessary to protect lives and property in this emergency," Bentley said.
DIRECT HIT
The supercell thunderstorm that produced the tornado in Tuscaloosa, west central Alabama, was still producing a tornado three hours later in northwestern Georgia, said Josh Nagelberg, a meteorologist on the AccuWeather.com website.
"This could be the worst tornado in Alabama's history," Nagelberg said, adding that by 9 p.m. local time 0200 gmt the twister passed within a few miles of Rome in northwestern Georgia and appeared to be weakening.
Marshall county in northeastern Alabama had six fatalities, according to the state emergency agency.
"At this time, we have six dead and one missing," Sheriff Scott Walls told Reuters, adding that five of the victims were killed in a single house.
"That house was in the direct path of the tornado. We had homes and businesses that took direct hits. Every community in the county has suffered damage," he said.
On Wednesday night, Mississippi authorities said that the storms had caused at least 11 deaths in eight separate counties in the state in the last 24 hours.
The storms also forced the Tennessee Valley Authority to close three nuclear power plants in Alabama and knocked out 11 high voltage power lines. Tens of thousands of homes have lost power.
Two people also died in Dade County, Georgia, near the border with Tennessee and Alabama and hundreds of homes destroyed when a tornado hit on Wednesday evening, the Chattanooga Times Free Press reported on its website.
The storms and flooding were the latest in the violent weather that has pummeled much of the mid-South this month. Two weeks ago more than 47 people died as storms tore a wide path from Oklahoma all the way to North Carolina.
(Additional reporting by Verna Gates in Birmingham, David Beasley in Atlanta and Leigh Coleman in Biloxi; Writing by Matthew Bigg, Editing by Jerry Norton and Peter Bohan)
No comments:
Post a Comment