At least three people died and several injuries were reported after fatal tornadoes devastated Alabama on Thursday, cutting down trees, demolishing houses and turning off the power of thousands.
Firefighters said a family was able to safely escape from their destroyed home in the Eagle Point subdivision near Birmingham. In the neighboring town of Pelham, in Shelby County, authorities have posted videos and photos showing large trees blocking damaged roads and poles leaning menacingly over the streets littered with the wreckage of badly damaged houses. More than 20,000 customers were without power in the state.
“We can confirm that the local residential structures have been completely destroyed,” Shelby County Sheriff John Samaniego told the Associated Press.
Search and rescue efforts were complicated as strong weather continued to sweep the region.
The storm caused major damage, including several houses and a civic center, police said. Utility lines have also been torn down along several highways, police said, warning people to stay off the road and away from areas affected by the tornado.
At least three deaths and an unknown number of injuries have been reported.
Maj Clay Hammac, of the Shelby County Sheriff’s Department, said they “were told to prepare for another round of storms.” Up to 4 inches (10 cm) of rain with the highest possible amounts is expected in northern Alabama, according to the National Weather Service in Huntsville.
The destruction was part of a wide strip of violent weather sweeping the deep south. Meteorologists warned of dangerous storms, flash floods and possible storms from eastern Mississippi to western Georgia and northern to Tennessee and Kentucky. Flood warnings and warnings extended to western Carolinas.
Mississippi also had a storm-related death on Wednesday. Ester Jarrell, 62, died when a large tree fell on his mobile home after heavy rain soaked the soil, a Wilkinson county official told the Associated Press.
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey issued an emergency declaration for 46 counties as the severe weather approached, and authorities opened shelters in and around Birmingham. Ivey said that “the significant and dangerous climate continues to impact parts of Alabama”, according to a statement on Twitter.
“Tragically, we are receiving reports of deaths. Unfortunately, the day is not over yet. “