19 people are dead in the Southeast as a severe weather outbreak slammed Texas to Georgia.
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States of emergency have been declared in Georgia and Mississippi.
Authorities said at least 14 deaths occurred in south Georgia alone.
An enormous storm system that kicked up tornadoes, shredded homes and left other destruction scattered around the Southeast has claimed at least 18 lives after a two-day assault on the region.
Authorities said at least 14 deaths occurred in south Georgia alone.
Georgia’s latest three deaths were confirmed Sunday evening in Dougherty County where Albany is located, said Catherine Howden, spokeswoman for the Georgia Emergency Management Agency.
Sebon Burns, the county’s deputy chief for emergency management, said search and rescue efforts were continuing following reports of injuries and extensive damage.
(PHOTOS: Destruction in the South)
Yet the day’s deadliest toll came before daybreak Sunday when an apparent tornado blew through a mobile home park in south Georgia — about 60 miles southeast of Albany — shearing away siding, upending homes and killing seven people.
Coroner Tim Purvis of south Georgia’s Cook County confirmed that seven people died at the mobile home park, where about roughly half of the 40 homes were “leveled.” Georgia state emergency officials initially reported an eighth death in that county, but Howden later said that was incorrect.
President Donald Trump said Sunday he had spoken with Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal and “expressed our sincere condolences for the lives taken.”
“Tornadoes were vicious and powerful and strong, and they suffered greatly,” Trump said during a White House ceremony where he was swearing in aides. “So we’ll be helping out the state of Georgia.”
In Albany, Georgia, a city of roughly 77,000 in the southwestern part of the state, Doughtery County Commission Chairman Chris Cohilas walked the streets of hard-hit Radium Springs during a Facebook Live video. He described the area as looking as if a nuclear bomb went off.
“We need a lot of help,” he said in the video. “This is really bad.”
Here are the state-by-state impacts from this deadly storm system.
Georgia
In addition to the deaths in Albany and Adel, two people were killed in the same home in in Barney, which was blown onto Highway 122, according to WALB.
Damage to the Sunshine Acres trailer park near Adel, Georgia, caused by a likely tornado. (Courtesy WALB)
In Berrien County, the sheriff’s office confirmed to the National Weather Service that two people died near New Lois, likely in a continuation of the reported tornado that hit Adel.
A Wal-Mart in the city of Warner Robins was heavily damaged Saturday. The Macon Telegraph reported that Houston County EMA Director Jimmy Williams confirmed significant damage to the store, with water in the aisles and a gas leak. In addition, there were further reports of downed trees in the area and a damaged building at Robins Air Force Base.
Roof damage from heavy winds was reported in Howard, and several structures reported major damage in Washington County.
More than 17,000 remained without power across the state as of Sunday evening, WSBTV.com reports.
Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal declared a state of emergency for seven counties in the southern half of the state.
Mississippi
Hattiesburg saw the most extensive damage on Saturday. Four people lost their lives.
Forrest County Coroner Butch Benedict identified the victims: Earnest Perkins, 58; Cleveland Madison, 20; David Wayne McCoy, 47 and Simona Cox, 72.
Many survivors, like Darryl McMorris, told stories of the tornado’s horrifying path of destruction. He told the Associated Press that he held onto his daughters as the twister destroyed their house, wall by wall – one of which fell on top of them. They all survived, but their house is a total loss, the report added.
“Is God mad at us?” his daughter asked.
At least 50 people were treated for injuries at area hospitals, Mississippi Emergency Management Agency spokesman Greg Flynn told the AP. Insured damages are likely to top $200 million in Hattiesburg alone, Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney said.
“You’ve got so many buildings that are for all practical purposes totally destroyed,” Andy Case, a disaster recovery specialist with the Department of Insurance, told the AP.
At William Carey University, dorms were damaged and several injuries reported on their campus. According to WDAM.com, WCU women’s soccer player Taylor Gautreaux lost three fingers when a door was slammed shut on her hand. Gautreaux’s coach, Danny Owens, told WDAM she’s recovering in a hospital.
“Campus is closed until further notice,” the school’s official Twitter account said. “Students are being escorted from campus. Arrangements will be made for students who cannot go home.”
The NWS surveyed the damage Saturday and said the tornado would be rated at least EF3, with several hard-hit areas still yet to be viewed.
Florida
Florida received numerous reports of damaging wind gusts in the Panhandle and across the peninsula. Some of the wind damage reports could eventually be confirmed as tornado damage after National Weather Service surveys are completed.
One person was injured near Lake City after a tree fell and split a home in half. Several trees and power lines were downed in Panama City, and a 68 mph wind gust was clocked at nearby Tyndall Air Force Base.
In central Florida, mobile homes suffered roof damage near Lakeland and Bradenton.
William T. Dwyer High School in Palm Beach County was closed Monday due to possible tornado damage.
Louisiana
The Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office said that two dozen homes were damaged near Plain Dealing, Louisiana; five of those homes sustained heavy damage. There were no injuries reported. They did not say whether the damage was caused by a tornado or non-tornadic winds, but the National Weather Service will survey the damage at a later time to make that final decision.
Ten to 15 homes were damaged or destroyed in Natchitoches Parish by reported tornadoes and storms, the Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office said. A few injuries were also associated with the storms, but none were considered life-threatening.
According to the Sheriff’s Department, a man in Point Place, Louisiana, “was sucked out of his brick home through the front door and thrown in his front yard.”
Texas
Reported tornadoes damaged at least eight homes in Scottsville, Texas, late Saturday afternoon. KTAL reports that the entire area is without power as crews work to clear downed power lines and trees. Luckily, no one was injured. Saturday wet roads contributed to the deaths of two men in Harris County, Click2Houston.com reports. Three men were in the car driving on Gears Road at 11 p.m. when the incident occurred. The driver lost control of the vehicle, causing them to crash through a fence and into a tree on the north side of the roadway.
The two victims were identified as David King and Joshua Vinson. The third passenger was transported to Memoria Hermann hospital.
South Carolina
The National Weather Service has confirmed two tornadoes struck South Carolina over the weekend, injuring one woman as storms that moved across the South over the weekend killed at least 18. The weather service says a tornado touched down about 3:45 p.m. Saturday in Barnwell County and moved into Bamberg County.
The other occurred in Orangeburg County a few minutes later. Forecasters said Sunday that both storms had been confirmed as tornadoes.A woman was trapped in a mobile home that was damaged near Blackville. She was taken to a hospital but there was no word on her injuries.
Hundreds of trees were blown down and several homes and barns were damaged.
Alabama
Trees and utility poles were downed and there was various structural damage in the Pepperell Village area in Opelika Sunday.
A possible tornado tore the roof off of a mobile home in Chewacla State Park in Lee County Sunday, according to NWS.
One minor injury was reported in Mobile and “significant tree and power line damage from a possible tornado in Choctaw County near Toxey” was also witnessed, according to AL.com.
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