At least six people were killed Thursday in Autauga County, Alabama, by a storm that struck the southeastern part of the country with strong tornadoes. In Georgia, a tree fell on a vehicle during a severe storm, killing a passenger. In both states, dozens of homes were damaged and several people were injured.
The southeastern region of the country is under a severe thunderstorm warning and at the moment, more than 100,000 people are without power in Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee. Storm damage has been reported in a total of nine states. The hardest hit was Alabama, which recorded at least 25 tornadoes.
The National Weather Service described the storm as a "large and extremely dangerous tornado" that affected the city of Selma, Alabama, where homes were destroyed and trees uprooted. The local media collected images of the damage and the meteorological phenomenon:
These new storms happened to take place around the same time as a series of atmospheric rivers in California. At least 19 people were killed in flooding and landslides that have caused more than $1 billion in damage to date.
State of emergency in six Alabama counties
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey declared a state of emergency for six counties: Autauga, Chambers, Coosa, Dallas, Elmore, and Tallapoosa.
We have already seen parts of the state rattled by this severe weather system, which is why I have issued a state of emergency for six of our counties that were in the path of Mother Nature’s wrath: Autauga, Chambers, Coosa, Dallas, Elmore and Tallapoosa. #alpolitics (1/2) pic.twitter.com/DL3wIKRUdB
— Governor Kay Ivey (@GovernorKayIvey) January 12, 2023
"I, along with my partners at the Alabama Emergency Management Agency, will continue to monitor to determine if an expanded state of emergency is needed," she said.
