State of emergency is declared in Alabama and Georgia as tornadoes become deadly. The two states made the declarations in response to Thursday's several tornadoes that tore across the South, with one county reporting multiple fatalities.
Extreme Weather Outbreak
Following the outbreak of extreme weather events in the southern United States that led Alabama and Georgia to issue emergency declarations, at least seven deaths have been reported.
On Thursday, tornadoes were produced by storms throughout the South, with the majority of them concentrating in Alabama, where 25 of the National Weather Service's 34 preliminary tornado reports were made.
Thursday afternoon saw the storms become dangerous. According to Sheriff David Hill of Autauga County in Alabama, the Old Kingston region has seen at least six verified deaths. Officials caution that while personnel continues their search and rescue efforts, the number might be higher.
According to Autauga County Emergency Management Director Ernie Baggett, a 20-mile tornado track was discovered to have crossed the county, beginning in the Old Kingston region and going into the Marbury area.
Baggett informed Angeline that when both of those [communities] were combined, "it seems like we've got roughly 40 houses, maybe a few more, that have either been demolished or [had] serious damages."
As the storms moved in on Thursday afternoon, the county was designated the first tornado emergency for 2023 and the most recent since November 4, 2022, with the NWS issuing a "life-threatening scenario" warning. Numerous roads in Joffre and Old Kingston had major damage, while County Road 68 in the vicinity of US-31, close to Prospect, Alabama, also saw severe damage.
Following the storms, the governor of Alabama, Ivey Kay, issued a state of emergency for six counties, including Autauga County. The proclamation also included the counties of Chambers, Coosa, Dallas, Elmore, and Tallapoosa.
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey tweeted, "We have already witnessed sections of the state shaken by this catastrophic weather system, which is why I have called a state of emergency." Later on Thursday afternoon, Governor Brian Kemp issued a state of emergency for Georgia.
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Massive Tornado
A massive and deadly tornado that tore through the Selma, Alabama, region on Thursday afternoon was among the other tornadoes recorded around the state and the destruction in Autauga County.
Around 12:30 p.m. local time on Thursday, Selma, situated about 40 miles west of Montgomery, was in the path of a large and highly hazardous tornado. According to a municipal statement online, emergency response personnel were assisting and cleaning roads as of Thursday afternoon.
People in Selma were advised to seek shelter and stay off the local roads. There have also been reports of downed power lines all across the area.
As storms moved across the area, several tornado reports were distributed over central Alabama. Just before 11 a.m. local time on Thursday, significant structural damage was initially reported south of Greensboro, Alabama. Soon, a tree was seen on the house near Greensboro, Alabama. Trees were fallen along Highway 219 near Oakmulgee in southern Bibb County before 11:30 a.m. local time. According to an NWS report, the tornado crossed US-82 southeast of Centreville.
Following the Weather Event
According to AccuWeather meteorologists, earlier on Thursday afternoon, the tornado that damaged Selma, Alabama, was produced by the same supercell thunderstorm that also made the tornado in Montgomery, Alabama, to the northwest. Early this morning, a storm developed in Eunice, Louisiana, which moved more than 500 miles.
In Mercer County, Kentucky, where two houses sustained significant damage and numerous barns were wrecked, no injuries or deaths were recorded.
Brad Cox, emergency management director for Mercer County, told AccuWeather that "[the tornado] might have been pretty devastating, but luckily no one was harmed."
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