Communities across the South were on high alert Tuesday as a devastating storm system that left at least 27 people dead threatened to pack a one-two punch on the hardest-hit areas of Alabama and Mississippi.
The storm front killed at least 11 people on Monday when it slammed into parts of Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee and produced more than 50 tornado reports in 24 hours.
It spawned twisters, deposited driving rains and scattered hail across swaths of the South and has been blamed for at least 16 deaths over the weekend in Arkansas, Oklahoma and Iowa.
On Tuesday, the areas hit hardest by severe weather “are going to get a repeat performance,” according to The Weather Channel's chief meteorologist Kevin Roth. He said the severe storm that kicked off the chain of deadly tornadoes was so slow-moving that it’s “almost stationary.”
"It is almost identical areas that are under the gun, two days in a row"
Roth warned that eastern Mississippi, eastern Tennessee and “all of Alabama” could be in line for a second hit - putting millions of people potentially at risk.
“It is almost identical areas that are under the gun, two days in a row,” Roth said. “That’s not normally the case.”
Thousands hunkered down overnight in Alabama as tornado watches remained in effect and a state of emergency was declared.
Heavy damage was reported in Limestone County in the northern part of the state, county Emergency Management Agency told NBC News. At least two people were killed in the town of Athens, according to Holly Hollman, a spokeswoman for the city.
The National Weather Service said the "large, violent" twister directly hit the Clements Fire Department shortly after 5 p.m. (6 p.m. ET). The two victims were believed to have been in a mobile home park that was devastated.
The tornado caused major damage in Jefferson County city of Bessemer, Alabama, with emergency officials reporting downed trees, gas leaks and power outages.
“We have had not any reports about injuries or fatalities so far but we’re still in the response phase,” said Horace Walker, spokesman for the Jefferson County's Emergency Management Agency. “It’s too early to give an idea about the extent of the damage.”
A "fairly significant" tornado flattened several homes in northeast Alabama's DeKalb County. Its Emergency Management Agency's deputy director Michael Posey told NBC News downed trees and debris meant rescue crews could not reach victims.
At midnight ET, a "supercell" storm system likely to spawn tornadoes was heading toward Birmingham and Jefferson County, the National Weather Service said. Tornado warnings also covered parts of Mississippi, where the death toll stood at seven from Monday’s tornado. Officials there, however, said they were still awaiting official confirmation to come Tuesday morning on the death toll.
Mississippi's emergency management agency said at least 16 counties reported tornado damage, with the full extent of the destruction unknown.
Parts of the state suffered extensive flooding, according to the National Weather Service, with some people trapped in their cars.
Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant said the hardest-hit areas were Tupelo and Winston County near the town of Louisville.
"We're very fortunate that we have no reports of deaths in our city," Tupelo Mayor Jason Shelton said. North Mississippi Medical Center treated 24 people.
NBC station WTVA was live on the air when the tornado – described by the National Weather Service as “large and violent” – hit Tupelo, sending the news team scrambling.
Chief meteorologist Matt Laubhan shouted for staff to take cover, yelling “Basement, now!” in the dramatic footage.
Tennessee also took a hit when a tornado touched down in Lincoln County, near the Alabama line, and sent debris flying in the air. The National Weather Service said the twister was expected to cause “catastrophic damage" in parts of Lincoln and close-by Franklin and Moore counties.
Lincoln County Emergency Management confirmed two fatalities as a result of the tornadoes. The agency added that a number of homes have been destroyed, but comprehensive details on damage were hard to come by amid driving rains and flooding.
South Lincoln Elementary School sustained significant damage, with the front of the school torn off and a school bus tossed into the building, according to NBC station WSMV of Nashville.
First published April 29 2014, 2:34 AM
Source: Top Stories - Google News - http://ift.tt/1nBBB11
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