6 dead after destructive tornadoes hit Alabama

Six people are dead in Alabama after tornadoes struck the state Thursday, destroying homes and causing what Selma’s mayor called “significant damage.”

According to Ernie Baggett, director of the county Emergency Management Agency, Autauga County was responsible for the deaths.

He claimed that a tornado hit Old Kingston and Marbury with a path of approximately 20 miles.

“We have about 40 to 50 homes that we know are either major damaged or destroyed at this point,” Baggett said.

Selma Mayor James Perkins Jr. stated at a news conference, that the city was currently assessing the damage and that there had been no reports of fatalities as of Thursday afternoon. He invited residents to take photos of any damage in Selma.

“I thought it was all over for me,” Bobby Green, who was in his car when the storm struck Selma, told NBC affiliate WVTM of Birmingham. He said that his car was so stuffed with heavy debris that he had difficulty getting out of the passenger side window.

Emergency response teams were available on the ground to offer assistance.

“We have received a lot of devastating reports of damage,” the National Weather Service in Birmingham said in a statement. According to the report, storm surveys to confirm tornadoes can take several days.

According to a survey, Selma has many streets that are closed because of fallen power lines and trees. Facebook post From the city. Selma officials enforced a curfew between dusk-dawn, informing residents that exposed power lines could create a dangerous situation.

“All schools report that students are safe at school. Officials said that it was unsafe at this moment to visit the schools or allow the children leave the school.

Perkins stated that around 10,000 households and businesses in Selma were still without power at 7:30 p.m. Perkins said that crews were on the way to make sure cell service is not lost in the area.

People share photos and videos of damage around SelmaOne user shared photos showing entire streets where several buildings appeared to have been destroyed. One user shared more than two dozen photos to FacebookThis image shows flattened houses, trees falling across roads, and even a car that appears to have been smashed by a downed line.

A Twitter user posted a video showing what appeared to be a funnel clouds touching down from their vantagepoint on Interstate 65.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, thunderstorms caused flights at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport to be grounded. The FAA reported an average delay time of 26 minutes for flights departing Atlanta after the stop was lifted.

The spokesperson for Hartsfield-Jackson said that the situation is being closely monitored and had not affected Hartsfield-Jackson.

According to the Morgan County sheriff’s office, many buildings were damaged by a storm. A total of 10 people were hurt, but none seem to be seriously. Decatur, Morgan County, was struck by several downed trees and trucks that had been overturned. According to police, there were no injuries.

According to Weather Underground, there were 42 tornado reports Thursday. They mostly came from Alabama, but also some from Georgia and Kentucky. the weather service. Storm surveys must confirm whether they were tornadoes and how many.

Major damage was reported in the Alabama counties of Autauga, Bibb and Sumter.

In Spalding County, Georgia, the sheriff’s office reported “massive amounts of trees” down, blocking roads and taking down power lines. Griffin, a city in the county, was affected and residents were urged to leave.

One car was flipped on its side in Griffin’s Walmart parking lot. A second was lifted, and was partially on top. video from NBC affiliate WXIA of Atlanta showed.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey expressed sadness at the deaths of six people in Alabama.

“My thoughts and prayers are with their families and communities. Our people are resilient despite being all too familiar with the effects of severe weather. We will persevere and become stronger because of it,” she said. tweeted.

Ivey declared a state emergency in six counties on Thursday: Autauga Chambers, Dallas, Dallas, Elmore, Tallapoosa and Coosa.

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp declared a state emergency and directed agencies to “respond with an all-hands on deck approach” to affected areas.

According to the Weather Channel, almost 4 million people were under tornado watches on Thursday night. However, they eventually expired. the weather service.

According to the agency wind advisories covered 17,000,000 people Wednesday night. Atlanta could see gusts up to 40 mph.

CORRECTION (Jan. 12, 2022, 6:48 p.m. ET): A previous version incorrectly identified Montgomery’s NBC affiliate. It is WSFA and not WFSA. A previous version of this article incorrectly stated where the Autauga County Emergency Management Agency was. It’s in Prattville, not Prattsville.

This article was first published on NBCNews.com