As a result of a major storm system blowing up high winds and creating tornadoes, at least seven people have been killed in Alabama and Georgia. On Friday, when weather conditions are forecast to improve, authorities hope to have a better idea of the full scope of the destruction and begin searching for further casualties.
In portions of Georgia, Mississippi, and Alabama, tens of thousands of customers lost power when storms caused structural damage to their houses and flooded streets. The death toll from the storms in Alabama has been confirmed at six, and Governor Kay Ivey of Alabama expressed her “sadness” at the news. As Gary Weaver, deputy director of emergency services for Autauga County, told the AFP news agency, the deaths occurred there. Selma Mayor James Perkins urged citizens to remain off the roads and away from downed power lines after a tornado touched down in Dallas County, tearing roofs off buildings and leaving “serious damage.” According to PowerOutage.us, which keeps tabs on power outages around the country, some 40,000 people in Alabama were without electricity on Thursday night. “This is the worst I’ve ever seen.” County emergency management director Ernie Baggett said that 40 houses were damaged or destroyed by the tornado that ripped a 32 km (20 mi) route across two rural towns in Selma. Baggett told The Associated Press that at least 12 individuals were rushed to hospitals. On Thursday night, he added, teams were concentrating on clearing the area of fallen trees in order to search for survivors. Damage is “the worst I’ve seen in this county,” said Baggett.
Butts County Coroner Lacey Prue reported the death of a passenger after a tree fell on their car in Jackson, Georgia. A freight train was apparently derailed in the same county southeast of Atlanta due to the storm. Multiple individuals were reportedly trapped inside an apartment building when trees crashed on it in Griffin, south of Atlanta, according to local officials. On Friday, school were cancelled in at least six counties across Georgia.