Tornadoes, severe storms across Southeast early Monday leave 7 dead in Georgia
Severe storms ripped through the southeast Monday night, killing at least 17 people across the southeastern United States.
The storms brought damaging winds, hail, heavy rain and tornadoes beginning in central Texas, and traveling through Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and the Carolinas.
The worst damage happened outside of the Chattahoochee Valley.
At least 34 tornadoes hit Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Georgia, according to the National Weather Service. Locally, Talbot and Upson counties saw tornado warnings around 2 a.m.
A tornado was also confirmed in Fulton County around 2:30 a.m. Monday near College Park around the Atlanta Airport, according to the National Weather Service.
Tornadoes were confirmed all over the state: northwest Georgia in Chattooga County, metro Atlanta in South Fulton County.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the loved ones who lost their lives in these horrific storms last night,” Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John F. King said. “Property owners who were impacted need to immediately notify their insurance company of any damages. If you have any trouble getting your storm-related claims processed, please call my office at 800-656-2298.”
At least six were killed in overnight severe storms in Murray County, about an hour outside Chattanooga, Tennessee, WSB-TV reports. Another was killed in Bartow County when a tree fell on his house.
At least 11 people were killed in Mississippi, according to the state’s Emergency Management Agency, with “multiple injuries.”
“This morning, several communities are grappling with serious storm damage, and I ask everyone to lift them up in prayer,” Georgia Governor Brian Kemp tweeted Monday. “Our hearts go out to the loved ones and friends of those we lost.”
The governors of Mississippi, Louisiana, Georgia and Alabama each declared states of emergency to help recover from the storm damage.
Nearly 200,000 residents across Georgia and Alabama find themselves without power following the storms. Around 3,000 customers are affected by the outages in the Columbus area.
Alabama Power is reporting the hardest hit counties to be Jefferson, Montgomery and Tuscaloosa.
This story was originally published April 13, 2020 at 9:34 AM.
