Deadly tornadoes unleash 'total destruction' in southern Georgia
A multi-day outbreak of severe weather brought devastation to communities across the Southeast on Saturday and Sunday. At least 20 people were killed by the storms.
At least 15 fatalities occurred in southern Georgia on Sunday, the Associated Press reported. Seven of the deaths occurred when a tornado destroyed about half of the 40 homes at a mobile home park in the community of Adel.
In the town of Albany, Georgia, search and rescue crews were examining the wreckage of a mobile home park Sunday afternoon which took significant damage. Four fatalities were later confirmed in the town by the Dougherty County coroner, the Albany Herald reported.
Emergency Management Director Ron Rowe told the Herald that east Albany took a direct hit and there was "total destruction" in the wake of the storm.
A two-year-old is reported among the missing after his mother said that he was "swept away in a tornado." Officials in Dougherty County say they're still searching.
The tornado that ripped through Albany was given a preliminary rating of EF2 by the National Weather Service in Tallahassee, Florida.
Facebook activated its safety check feature so residents could alert loved ones that they were safe and unharmed.
The damaging tornadoes which struck Georgia came one day after a tornado tore through Hattiesburg, Mississippi, claiming the lives of four people.
One woman was killed in Lake City, Florida, when a tree crashed onto her home, the AP reported.
Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal declared a state of emergency for seven counties in the south-central part of the state.
Utility companies reported more than 60,000 customers without power during the height of the storms on Sunday across Alabama, Georgia and Florida.
There were over 30 tornado reports throughout the South this weekend, with most of those in Georgia, according to the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center.
<hr>
Have questions, comments, or a story to share? Email Kevin Byrne at Kevin.Byrne@accuweather.com, follow him on Twitter at @Accu_Kevin. Follow us
Report a Typo
