Tornado Outbreak Hits South, Killing at Least 22 in Alabama

Officials said at least 22 people were killed in Alabama as a vicious tornado outbreak ripped across the South on Sunday.

The violent storms left debris strewn across southern Alabama and Georgia, the Florida Panhandle and into parts of South Carolina.

The Lee County Sheriff's Office told local media that no fewer than 22 people were killed when at least two tornadoes hit the southern Alabama county. The sheriff later said some of the victims were children; the National Weather Service said the first twister was at least EF3 in strength and was a half-mile wide or more.

Sunday was the deadliest day for tornadoes in the United States in nearly five years.

"We’ve still got people being pulled out of rubble," Lee County Coroner Bill Harris told AL.com. "We’re going to be here all night."

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey said she would extend the current state of emergency to provide state resources for areas damaged by the storms.

"Our hearts go out to those who lost their lives in the storms that hit Lee County today," Ivey said in a tweet. "Praying for their families & everyone whose homes or businesses were affected."

About 3:15 p.m. EST, the NWS issued a tornado emergency after a large and destructive tornado was confirmed near Smiths Station, in Lee County, Alabama.

Calling it a "life-threatening situation," the NWS warned residents of Smiths Station, Bleecker, Monterey Heights and Bartletts Ferry Dam to take cover immediately as part of the tornado emergency declaration.

The same warning was given in Georgia for northern Muscogee County and southern Harris County. Smiths Station Mayor Bubba Copeland told The Weather Channel that at least 12 houses were flattened.

"We have a lot of mobile homes turned upside down," Copeland said.

He said Lee County schools are canceled Monday because "several huge holes are on top of the (elementary) school."

"I'm begging people to stay home ... and stay off the roads," Copeland said, so search and rescue efforts can continue.

The Lee County storm warnings were two of several tornado warnings issued for Alabama and Georgia on Sunday afternoon.

Reports said multiple homes were damaged in Dupree, Alabama, south of Dothan. Other reports said the airport and a fire station were damaged in Eufaula,



Alabama.

Some 30 miles north of Tallahassee, the town of Cairo and its 9,500 residents suffered a direct hit from what appeared to be a tornado on radar. Shortly after, authorities reported widespread damage in the town, but it was unclear if there were any injuries.

Speaking with Cairo Mayor Booker Gainor, Tallahassee Democrat reporter Jeffrey Burlew tweeted that dozens of structures were damaged or destroyed and some residents were trapped in their homes after the storm struck the town Sunday night.

"It’s pretty bad," Gainor told the Democrat. "We have a lot of trees down, debris and power lines. We have trees completely through houses. You would think a hurricane came after this, the way it looks."

Several towns in Georgia reported damage earlier Sunday from several tornadoes that were confirmed on radar by the NWS. In the town of Talbotton, located some 35 miles northeast of Columbus, several people were injured when a damaging storm rolled through the area, Talbot County Emergency Management Agency director Leigh Ann Erenheim told the Associated Press.

"The last check I had was between six and eight injuries," Erenheim said in a phone interview with the AP. "From what I understand it was minor injuries, though one fellow did say his leg might be broken."

Social media was also sharing reports of damage in Perry, Georgia.

Each County Sheriff Terry Deese said trees were down and some houses were damaged, the Macon Telegraph reported.

While following the storm, Peach County Sheriff’s Sgt. Shane Brooks told the Macon Telegraph he was nearly hit directly by the tornado as he drove down Duke Road in Byron.

"It was moving so fast I didn’t have time do anything but just sit there and hold on," he told the Telegraph. "It was not something I would want to experience again."

Crawford County Fire Chief Randall Pate said a tornado destroyed four homes. Pate also reported one injury: a woman whose ankle was broken when her home was damaged.

A radar-confirmed tornado spread debris across Interstate 10 in Walton County, Florida, the AP reported. The eastbound lanes of the interstate had to be closed for cleanup.

Storms caused numerous reports of damage in and around Columbia Sunday night. The NWS said possible tornadoes caused damage to a church in Red Bank, and ripped a roof off a home and blew recreational vehicles onto their sides near Lexington.