Swarm of Tornadoes Tears Across the South

2 minute read

Updated 4:58 p.m. ET

At least 16 people were killed Monday as deadly tornadoes ripped through sections of Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee, bringing the death toll for the storm system that hit the Midwest earlier in the week to 35.

The dangerous weather was headed toward Georgia early Tuesday, after having flattened buildings in towns throughout the region, and Governor Nathan Deal has declared a state of emergency.

“For about 30 seconds, it was unbelievable,” said Mississippi state Sen. Giles Ward, whose Louisville home was destroyed in the storm while he huddled in a bathroom with his wife, four kids and dog. “It’s about as awful as anything we’ve gone through.”

The storm system rumbling east across the country has slammed a huge swath of territory with dangerous weather, from Iowa south to Oklahoma and into Arkansas, which alone saw 15 deaths. An estimated 11 tornadoes hit the central U.S. Sunday and 25 ravaged the South Monday, according to a preliminary count from the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center.

The storm reserved its most severe weather for Mississippi and Alabama. At least 45 injuries and six deaths were reported in Winston County, Miss., on Monday. One was a woman who died in the day care center she operated in Louisville, though it remained unclear if there were children in the center when the storm hit.

In Tupelo, Miss., every building in a two-block area was damaged when a tornado ravaged the town of about 35,000. Limestone County, Ala., suffered severe damage in the storm, which knocked out power to nearly 12,000 and killed two when a twister hit a trailer park in the small community of Coxey.

Power was out for tens of thousands of customers in the region and road crews worked to clear debris from streets Tuesday, the Associated Press reports.

Photos: Tornadoes Tear Through the South

Arkansas Tornado Damage 01
An upturned truck lies under a tree that has lost most of its branches, following a tornado near Vilonia, Ark. at sunset on April 28, 2014. Carlo Allegri—Reuters
Arkansas Tornado Damage 02
Constance Lambert embraces her dog after finding it alive after returning to her devastated home along Clayton Ave in Tupelo, Miss. on April 28, 2014. Brad Vest—The Commercial Appeal/Landov
Arkansas Tornado Damage 03
Ken Sullivan, general manager of We Willies Super Auto Wash, looks over the damage after a tornado yesterday tore through the area for the second time in three years, on April 28, 2014 in Vilonia, Ark.Wesley Hitt—Getty Images
Arkansas Tornado Damage 04
A police officer walks past an overturned car on Apr. 29, 2014 at a homesite that was destroyed by a tornado on Sunday in Vilonia, Ark.Mark Wilson—Getty Images
Arkansas Tornado Damage 05
A damaged home is seen on Kincannon Street in Tupelo, Miss., April 29, 2014.Thomas Graning—AP
Arkansas Tornado Damage 06
Rescue workers and volunteers stand amid debris of homes one day after they were destroyed by a tornado in Vilonia, Ark. on April 28, 2014.Carlo Allegri—Reuters
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Aerial view of the central town after a tornado hit Vilonia, Ark. on April 28, 2014.Carlo Allegri—Reuters
Arkansas Tornado Damage 08
A resident makes his way down Jackson Street and away from the tornado damaged area in Tupelo, Miss. on April 28, 2014.Thomas Wells—Reuters
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Hunter Allred climbed into a home along Clayton Ave in Tupelo, Miss. on April 28, 2014 to look for the owners' pets after the home was destroyed by a tornado on Monday. Brad Vest—The Commercial Appeal/Landov
Arkansas Tornado Damage 09
Destiny Simmons sits in the rubble of her home that was destroyed by a tornado as she talks on a cell phone, April 28, 2014, in Vilonia, Ark.Eric Gay—AP
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VILONIA, AR - APRIL 29: The remains of a large truck destroyed by a tornado on Sunday evening rests amid the debris, on April 29, 2014 in Vilonia, Ark.Mark Wilson—Getty Images
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Men use boards as paddles as they search though the debris of what is left of homes in a lake after a tornado hit the town of Vilonia, Ark., April 28, 2014. Carlo Allegri—Reuters
Arkansas Alabama Tornado Damage 012
Teresa Ingram looks for belongings in the debris after a tornado passed through destroying Billy Barbs mobile home park on Tuesday, April 29, 2014, in Athens, Ala. Butch Dill—AP
Arkansas Tornado Damage 013
Uprooted trees are pictured after a tornado hit Vilonia, Ark. on April 28, 2014. Carlo Allegri—Reuters

[AP]

 

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