Tag Archives: Georgia

National Weather, Natural Disasters

The South tries to recover amongst devastation of 2nd deadliest tornado outbreak on record

Leave a comment
Damage from an EF5 tornado that struck Smithville, Miss., on April 27, 2011.
Damage from an EF5 tornado that struck Smithville, Miss., on April 27, 2011. Click the image for a slideshow of the devastation. (NWS)

With entire towns reduced to rubble and damage spread across seven states, people in the southeastern United States began the long task of recovery.  The tornadoes that struck this past week claimed 341 lives and achieved the unwanted status as the 2nd deadliest single-day tornado outbreak in U.S. history.

President Barack Obama toured the devastated city of Tuscaloosa in Alabama yesterday saying, “I have never seen devastation like this. It is heartbreaking.”

The National Weather Service received 211 tornado reports during the outbreak, a number that will be reduced once duplicates are removed.  No matter the number of twisters, the results were nothing short of devastating.

One tornado that struck near Smithville, Mississippi has received an EF-5 rating – the highest possible.  Meteorologists estimate that twister packed winds of 205mph.  A tornado in Georgia was rated an EF-4 and at least five EF-3 tornadoes struck Alabama.  Weather service officials say they expect more twisters could receive the highest rating as they continue their investigation.

With 341 lives confirmed lost and the number expected to continue to grow, the outbreak ranks as the 2nd deadliest single-day outbreak on record.  It surpassed the “Super Outbreak” of 1974 and a 1932 outbreak in the Deep South.

Some are speculating the toll will grow enough for the event to become the worst in history, a truly nightmare scenario.  The Tri-State tornado on March 18, 1925 claimed the lives of 747 people.  One tornado alone in that outbreak tracked 234 miles across Missouri, Illinois and Indiana.

Slideshow: DigitalGlobe, NASA and Geoeye satellites provide view of tornado devastation
Slideshow: DigitalGlobe, NASA and Geoeye satellites provide view of tornado devastation

Obama has promised to speed federal aid to the region as governor’s in the hardest hit states declared states of emergency. “We can’t bring those who’ve been lost back. They’re alongside God at this point … but the property damage, which is obviously extensive, that’s something we can do something about,” the president said.

Damage estimates continue but an untold number of homes have been destroyed, certainly a number in the thousands.  Insured losses could reach between $2 billion and $5 billion which would push the disaster into the top 10 list of most expensive natural disasters in US history.

We are providing complete coverage of the tornado outbreak on Examiner.com.  Please visit the following links for more information.

Photo slideshows:

Related stories:

National Weather, Natural Disasters

Disaster strikes: Worst tornado outbreak in more than 30 years hits the South

Leave a comment
A tornado is seen ripping through Tuscaloosa, Alabama. View more images in the slideshow below.
A tornado is seen ripping through Tuscaloosa, Alabama. View more images in the slideshow below. (Credit: yfrog / bamawx)

A virtually unrivaled severe weather outbreak hit the southern United States yesterday bringing death and destruction.  The death toll from the event continues to climb and now ranks as the second worst since 1950.

The evaluation on the number of tornadoes and their power has begun by the National Weather Service.  The Storm Prediction Center recorded 164 reports but a number of those will be eliminated as duplicates of the same twisters.

Harold Brooks, a meteorologist with the SPC, told the Associated Press that he believed as many as 60 reports may be attributed to a single long-track tornado.  He further said that some may have achieved the EF-5 rating, the highest possible that generates winds in excess of 200mph.

Recovery efforts across the nation’s South continue as resources continue to arrive.  The Red Cross and other relief agencies were sending personnel from across the nation to help with search and rescue and to help with the distribution of water, food and other necessities.

  • Check out images and video of the tornadoes below

More than 1 million people were still without power this evening in Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee.  The Browns Ferry nuclear power plant west of Huntsville lost power from the storms but was able to safely shut down.

Alabama announced 11 more fatalities bringing the state’s losses to at least 195.  Overall at least 284 people across six states were killed making the disaster one of the worst tornado outbreaks in U.S. history.  Only the “Super Outbreak” of 1974 caused more deaths.

Photo slideshow - Death and destruction in Alabama in the wake of tornado outbreak.
Photo slideshow - Death and destruction in Alabama in the wake of tornado outbreak.

Tuscaloosa Mayor Walter Maddox said, “I don’t know how anyone survived.”  The mayor toured his city by helicopter and was stunned by the devastation. “We have neighborhoods that have been basically removed from the map,”Maddox said.

States of emergency were declared in Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Georgia.  President Barack Obama announced that he would speed federal aid to the disaster stricken region and would visit Alabama personally on Friday.

For complete coverage of the tornado outbreak, please visit the Natural Disasters Examiner.

Do you know what to do when severe weather strikes? Learn how to protect you and your family:

National Weather

Flooding in southeastern U.S. claims eight lives

Leave a comment
A washed out bridge is shown Monday, Sept. 21, 2009 in Douglasville, Ga. Heavy rain caused flooding in and around the Atlanta area. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
A washed out bridge is shown Monday, Sept. 21, 2009 in Douglasville, Ga. Heavy rain caused flooding in and around the Atlanta area. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

The governor of Georgia issued a state of emergency on Tuesday morning as the death toll from flooding in the area continued to climb. Some areas near Atlanta reported up to 20 inches of rain in recent days as creeks and rivers ran over their banks flooding entire communities and even sending the Six Flags Over Georgia amusement park under water (see slideshow on Examiner.com).

Adding to the tally of lives lost was a 15-year-old boy whose body was found in the Chattooga River Tuesday morning. In a heart wrenching story, in Carroll County, Georgia a 2-year-old boy perished when he was ripped from his father’s arms as the father struggled against floodwaters.

There is much more to this story on Examiner.com.  Get all the details on the tremendous flooding and view photos and video.
There's more to this story on the Denver Weather Examiner's site!