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Yesterday, a sudden outbreak of tornado activity in the Deep South sent dozens of twisters rampaging across the region. Tornado warnings persist across the region into Tuesday as the severe storms continue to tear through the South.
Damage from Louisiana to Alabama was reported throughout Monday evening, and at least three people have been killed as a direct result of the tornado activity. Due to the sudden nature of the storms, it’s been hard for emergency services to respond rapidly and for people to get out of the path of the storms.
On Monday afternoon, the National Weather Service reported that a 63-mile path tornado had torn through Louisiana. The storm caused significant damage in the town of Alexandria, Louisiana, where it destroyed part of Hope Baptist Church and School, as well as numerous other structures.
Highway 28 in Alexandria was closed due to the damage from the tornado, and police noted the difficulty of responding to emergency calls due to all the road-blocking debris. “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,” said Vernon Parish Chief Deputy Calvin Turner.
In Alabama, giant pecan trees were ripped from the ground, roofs were stripped from homes and seven different counties reported damage from numerous tornados. Power lines in Colbert County were downed, leading to blackouts in the region, and a tractor trailer was flipped by the high wind speeds.
In Limestone County, severe damage was reported from downed trees falling on homes, causing significant residential damage.
Mississippi saw its fair share of tornado activity, as well: trees falling on homes, blocking roadways and damaging vehicles were common on Monday. A tornado that touched down in Liberty, Mississippi, caused several injuries and damaged numerous homes and buildings.
Douglas Graham Group Home in Sumrall, Mississippi, sustained serious damage from a tornado, causing injury to at least seven people. Into Tuesday, tornado warnings are still active across the South, so people living in the area should stay posted.
