The extent of the destruction left across the Deep South by an outbreak of tornadoes became clearer Wednesday.
Dozens of homes were damaged in the severe weather that is being blamed for the deaths of at least four people. One of those deaths was caused by an EF3 tornado that roared along a 62-mile-long path for more than an hour and 45 minutes between DeRidder and Alexandria, Louisiana.
At least 28 tornadoes have been confirmed by the National Weather Service in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and Florida. Another EF3 tornado damaged buildings in Laurel, Mississippi.
Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant said the tornado outbreak there injured more than a dozen people – including two men who had to be hospitalized – and caused damage in at least 27 counties, according to WAPT. He declared a state of emergency for the affected areas; Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards also declared a state of emergency on Wednesday.
The storm system claimed a fourth life on Tuesday morning. Kentucky State Police Trooper Bobby King told the Associated Press rescue crews were called to Greenup County about 8 a.m. for a water rescue involving two people. He confirmed one of the people died, and crews were still trying to rescue another person.
Three other people were killed on Monday.
In Alabama, Lawrence County Coroner Scott Norwood said a husband and wife were killed and four other people, including a 7-year-old boy, were seriously hurt in Town Creek, the AP reported. The victims were later identified by Norwood as Justin Chase Godsey, 35, and Keisha LeAnn Cross Godsey, 34, the AP also said.
In Louisiana, Vernon Parish chief deputy Calvin Turner confirmed that one person, 59-year-old Betty Patin, was killed in a storm-damaged home on Monday afternoon.
More Tornadoes and Flooding on Tuesday
A fire station and at least eight homes were destroyed by a tornado Tuesday in Irwin County, Georgia, which is about 90 miles south of Macon. EMA Director Jerry Edwards told WALB 37 homes were damaged.
A strong tornado was confirmed by radar over Mystic, Georgia, shortly before noon, according to the NWS office in Tallahassee, Florida. An Irwin County dispatcher told WALB they were being swamped with calls.
Most of the damage was being reported in Mystic, Ocilla and the rest of the northwest side of the county. Damage was also reported in Ben Hill County.
Multiple homes were destroyed and trees ripped from the ground in Mystic, WFXL reported. Grace Christian Academy in nearby Ocilla also was heavily damaged by the storm.
The National Weather Service will survey the damage Wednesday to determine the tornado's strength.
Damage and power outages were also reported in southwest Georgia in Baker and Miller counties. Baker County students were released early because of the blackout, WALB reported.
After a damage survey Tuesday afternoon, the NWS confirmed an EF-1 tornado had touched down at 9:27 a.m. in Miller County just northeast of Colquitt, Georgia. It damaged barns, farm equipment and trees.
An EF-0 tornado touched down about 7:30 a.m. in Early County, the NWS said. The twister snapped trees southwest of Blakely.
Flooding was reported across parts of Tennessee and Kentucky.
Water covered many roads in Dickson County and Robertson County in Tennessee. A woman had to be rescued from her car after it was swept off a flooded road near Cross Plains, about 25 miles northeast of Nashville. WTVF reported that the woman was safely removed from the car.
In Central Kentucky, several roads in Bourbon County and Bath County were still flooded Tuesday, WKYT reported. Schools in Bath, Breathitt, Clark and Rowan counties were among those that closed because of flooding. A six-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 460 was expected to be closed until 9:45 p.m. Tuesday because of flooding.
Lexington police say they responded to 23 high water calls on Monday.
Roofs Ripped Off in Alabama
More than a half-dozen Alabama counties reported storm damage Monday evening.
Three people were hurt and 12 homes were damaged west of Demopolis in Marengo County, the Alabama News Network reported. The storm also flipped a tractor-trailer.
In Shelby County, a possible tornado ripped giant pecan trees out of the ground at the Medders family farm on Highway 25 in Montevallo, ABC 33/40 reported. There was also damage to a roof on the farm.
Roofs were ripped off several homes and power lines were downed in Colbert County, WAFF reported. Trees were felled and homes damaged in Limestone County, too.
62-Mile Tornado Path in Louisiana
The Lake Charles NWS office tweeted that an EF3 tornado with an estimated path length of 62 miles moved through Vernon and Rapides parishes on Monday afternoon.
This large and extremely dangerous tornado barreled into northwest portions of Alexandria, Louisiana, about 12:30 p.m. local time. Severe damage was reported at Hope Baptist Church and School on Louisiana Highway 28 south of the airport in Alexandria, KALB reported.
The church's pastor herded the school children into the church just before the tornado ripped off the school's roof, Alexandria Police Department Cpl. Wade Bourgeois told the AP.
"Fortunately, we have no reports of any deaths or serious injuries," Bourgeois said.
Highway 28 was closed from Stovall Road to the Walmart in Alexandria because of tornado damage. Several buildings had heavy damage, including the Johnny Downs Sports Complex. The complex includes five full-sized soccer fields, more than 10 smaller ones and eight baseball diamonds.
"The cat flew," Tonia Tyler of Pineville, Louisiana, told the AP. "It picked the cat up, and the cat flew – my cat – it flew across the yard. And I knew right there, I said 'Oh God, we're not going to make it.'"
Vernon Parish Chief Deputy Calvin Turner told the AP, “We've got damage at lots of places. We've got a church where the fellowship hall is torn all to pieces. Some homes are hit. Right now we're having trouble just getting to places because of trees that are down."
In neighboring Beauregard Parish, people were trapped in homes northeast of DeRidder, Louisiana, Chief Detective Jared Morton of the Beauregard Sheriff’s Office told WAFB. He also said “major damage” was reported along the Beauregard/Vernon line and to businesses along U.S. Highway 171.
At least two homes were destroyed in Webster Parish, KTBS reported. Parish Sheriff Gary Sexton also said trees were blocking parts of at least three highways in the parish east of Shreveport, Louisiana. KTAL reported that a mobile home was destroyed in the parish; The family that lived there was not at home when the storm hit.
Seven Hurt at Mississippi Group Home
In Mississippi, damage was reported from a tornado in Edwards, about 24 miles west of Jackson, Mississippi. The damage was near Mt. Moriah Road and Highway 467, WLBT reported. There were reports of trees falling on homes and across several roads.
The NWS said a tornado touched down shortly before noon in Newman, Mississippi, 12 miles east of Vicksburg.
About 2:45 p.m. a tornado touched down north of Liberty, Mississippi, in Amite County. Two men were hospitalized after suffering severe injuries, the Clarion Ledger reported.
Emergency Management Director Grant McCurley confirmed two men sustained severe injuries in the storm. One of the men, he said, was "picked up and thrown by the storm."
Later on Monday evening, a persistent supercell thunderstorm produced a number of tornado reports over a path from far southern Mississippi into southwest Alabama. These reports may have come from one or more long-tracked tornadoes.
At around 5 p.m., a tornado was spotted and indicated on radar near Columbia in far south Mississippi.
The Douglas Graham Group Home in Sumrall, Mississippi, suffered extensive damage from a confirmed tornado produced by this storm. Seven people were injured at the group home, said Lamar County emergency management director James Smith, according to the Hattiesburg American. All of the injuries were minor, said Smith.
A tornado was also confirmed as the storm passed near Laurel around 6:15 p.m. The NWS later rated the tornado as an E3.
Scattered damage was reported in the Columbia and Laurel areas.
Farther north in Mississippi, another storm produced damage at Guntown, a few miles from Tupelo, including significant damage to a church on the town's northern side and an 18-wheeler blown off the road on Highway 45. The NWS said a tornado with a preliminary rating of EF2 caused the damage.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
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