Assessment is ongoing today (March 27) following weekend storms across Alabama that left one dead and caused extensive damage in several Alabama counties.
A Morgan County man died from injuries sustained when his trailer was overturned during the March 24–25 tornado event. Kenneth Cooper, 67, was thrown from the trailer and later died at an area hospital.
Residents of Florence, Hartselle, Hamilton and Bear Creek reported downed trees and power lines, power outages and roof and property damage.
A preliminary report from the National Weather Service in Huntsville says two tornadoes, one an EF-2 with peak winds of 115 mph and the other an EF-1 with peak winds of 94 mph, struck Morgan County just after midnight on March 25. An EF-2 tornado with peak winds of 120 mph touched down in Lauderdale County around 10:54 p.m. on March 24. Assessments will continue this week.
Disaster relief teams at work
Alabama Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers were assisting with cleanup work Saturday and Sunday through Colbert-Lauderdale Baptist Association.
Chainsaw teams cleared downed trees in several Florence neighborhoods while chaplains and other DR officials made their way through the damaged areas doing assessments and prepping for DR teams to come this week.
“We had about 50 DR volunteers from across North Alabama who came in today and helped with assessments and chainsaw work,” said Eddy Garner, recently retired associational missions strategist for Colbert-Lauderdale Association. “It was a tremendous blessing and a great picture of helping each other and sharing the love of Christ.”
Sunday storms
On Sunday (March 26), many areas in the southern half of Alabama experienced another round of strong storms with reports of high winds, large hail and excessive rain in several areas.
The NWS in Birmingham said 6 to 8 inches of rain fell in several Alabama counties, and a flash flood warning was in effect this morning (March 27) for Bibb, Chambers, Chilton, Clay, Coosa, Randolph, Shelby, Talladega and Tallapoosa counties.
As of 9 a.m., about 12,000 customers were without power in Alabama, the majority of whom are in Lauderdale County in extreme northwest Alabama, and Elmore, Tallapoosa and Chambers counties in east Central Alabama.
Mark Wakefield, disaster relief strategist for the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions, said assessments of cleanup needs in Alabama will be ongoing today.
Mississippi and Georgia also hit hard
Wakefield said ABDR teams also may be needed in Mississippi, where the communities of Amory, Winona, Silver City and Rolling Fork were devastated on March 24 by a band of tornadoes. At least 25 people have died as a result of the storms.
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves has declared an emergency in the state, and FEMA is reportedly assessing where best to help provide needed resources. Aerial footage of some of the damage shows houses completely ripped from their foundations.
In Georgia’s Troup County, which lies along the Alabama-Georgia border east of Opelika, a confirmed tornado in the early morning hours of March 26 caused significant damage. At least five people suffered non-life-threatening injuries, according to local news reports.
The Troup County Sheriff’s Office said at least 30 to 40 structures were destroyed and 80 to 100 damaged. Some people were trapped in their homes by fallen trees.
In nearby Harris County, Georgia, two tigers briefly escaped from their enclosure at Pine Mountain’s Wild Animal Safari, a popular attraction near Callaway Gardens.
Read more on Mississippi tornadoes below.
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