US: At least nine killed after major storm sweeps through parts of Alabama, Georgia
US storm
According to reports, officials have confirmed that at least nine people have been killed, after a major storm system-induced series of tornadoes barreled through parts of Georgia and Alabama in the United States, on Thursday. As search and rescue efforts are underway, on Friday, the death toll is expected to rise in the hardest-hit central Alabama, said the local officials. Meanwhile, at least tens of thousands of homes across the US Southeast region are left without power following the storm which has left a trail of widespread destruction in its wake.
The National Weather Service (NWS) said that the suspected tornado damage was reported across at least 14 counties in Alabama and 14 in Georgia where the temperatures were forecast to plunge below freezing overnight, reported Associated Press. At least seven people have been killed in central Alabama’s Autauga County and two othersincluding a five-year-old boyin Georgia,saidofficials.
As of Friday morning, at least 40,000 homes and businesses are still out of power across the two aforementioned states, according to the tracking site PowerOutage.us. Visuals emerging from the affected areas show uprooted trees, damaged power lines, debris from nearby houses on the streets, and several structures reduced to rubble.
The weather agency, on Friday, also said that damage appears to be from at least two tornadoes rated EF-2 and EF-3 and that the total number of tornadoes is still being determined. The NWS also said that the twister in the hardest-hit central Alabama left damage which is consistent with an EF-3 tornado which can contain wind speeds between 136 and 165 mph. Notably, EF-5 damage is the most severe category on the scale.
The storms stretched from Mississippi to Georgia where Governor Brian Kemp, also confirmed the death of a state employee who was responding to the emergency. Additionally, officials also confirmed that four tornadoes touched down southeast of the state capital Atlanta but the damage was seen across several parts of the state. Meanwhile, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey, on Thursday, declared a state of emergency across six counties.
(With inputs from agencies)
)
What’s in a name? Trump’s 'Lake America' move gets a tit-for-tat response from Canada
)
Outrage erupts after 3-year-old is married to 60-year-old man in Pakistan, link to her sister's murder being probed
)
Trump gifts Xi a bald eagle sculpture at White House dinner: Here’s what it symbolises
)
‘Not just a local tragedy’: Nepal PM Shah warns UN of growing climate threat, says Nepal floods were 'a warning to the world'
)
CNN, Politico and MS NOW back in White House after judge blocks Trump’s media ban
)
Farhan, who went viral for AK47 celebration vs India in Asia Cup, hopes to lead Pakistan beyond Asian Games
)
'We would all be dead': Netanyahu defends decision to strike Iran's nuclear facilities in his UN speech
Don't Be Shy movie review: A frothy coming-of-age tale that is too shy to experiment
)
IIT Bombay CCTV footage emerges: Sahil Wakode seen looking at phone in examination hall
)
Welcome actor Mushtaq Khan dies at 56 after battling cancer
)
Trump's welcome to Xi demonstrates 'attraction' to dictators: Chuck Schumer
)
Nations League: Germany draw on Klopp debut; Portugal, Norway win
)
WION Iconic Tourism Summit 2026: Union Minister Shekhawat on 'experiential travel', peace diplomacy
)
Scientists detect first radio signals directly from faraway planet
)
A seven-day roadmap? Iran proposes plan to end war, reopen Strait of Hormuz and resume nuclear talks
)
China to test supersonic jet that moves at Mach 2, double the speed of sound
)
Xi Jinping's 'special plane' vs Trump's Air Force One: What's the difference?
)
UNGA 2026: Israeli PM attacks Britain, France for past colonialism
)
West Indies coach Sammy looking at India series as opportunity to finetune ahead of ODI World Cup 2027 qualifiers
)
‘We’ve never gotten along better’: Trump praises Xi, jokes about White House ballroom at high-stakes state dinner
)
Nearly half of young people trust AI over humans to check facts, major study finds
)
'Partners rather than rivals': Xi Jinping's first message after landing in US for Trump summit
)
Yemen called Trump for US military support in fight against Houthis: Official
)
2,000-foot tube, laser tests and more: China builds towns to expand nuclear arsenal, satellite images show
)
Meet Adrian Abraham: 9-year-old Indian-origin guitar prodigy aiming for a Guinness World Record
)
US faces fresh cost crunch as mortgage rates hit 7%, oil tops $107 and gas prices surge
)
Trump-Xi state dinner 2026: Who is invited? Full guest list of tech CEOs, business leaders and officials
)
'Blockbuster' nor'easter develops an eye similar to hurricanes as warnings are issued
)
Alarming video emerges as landslide damages houses in Sikkim’s Rimbi village. Watch
)
'Making history': Xi Jinping praises Trump as US-China leaders dine at White House
)
'What kind of confession is this?': Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif’s 'terrorists would be roaming New York' remark goes viral, raises alarm online. Watch
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Netanyahu at UN: Mass walkout, attack on Mamdani and Iran threats | In Pics
)
'We do not wish to continue. It's America that must choose': Iran president Pezeshkian calls on US to end war
)
WION Iconic Tourism Summit: How local tourism MSMEs must upskill for AI integration
)
Bollywood mourns Mushtaq Khan: Sunny Deol, Rajpal Yadav and others pay tribute
)
'FIRST LOOK from inside Noah’s Ark': Researchers share video from inside mysterious mound in Turkey
)
Who is Lt-Gen Nauman Mahmood, Pakistan's first secretary general of Makkah Defence Alliance?
)
Israeli envoy to US Yechiel Leiter’s son critically injured in West Bank ramming attack
)
'Fund people, not bombs': Hundreds take to New York streets as Netanyahu delivers speech at UN; dozens arrested
)
WATCH WION LIVE HERE
You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.