At Least 2 Dead As Severe Weather Rakes Southeastern USA
 

By the CNN Wire Staff
Updated 8:27 AM EST, Mon January 23, 2012

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Before sunrise Monday, damage from severe weather left about 42,000 customers without power in Birmingham, Alabama.


(CNN) -- Severe weather tore across the Southeast early Monday, spreading damage through at least two states and killing at least two people, emergency officials said.

The two fatalities were reported near Birmingham, Alabama, according to Jefferson County sheriff's Sgt. Jack Self. One was a 16-year-old male in the city of Clay, northeast of the city, and the second was an 82-year-old man in the Oak Grove community west of Birmingham, Self said. Authorities believe the same storm, which struck about 3:30 a.m. (4:30 a.m. ET), was responsible, he said.

At least 100 injuries have been reported, from cuts and bruises to broken bones, Self said. Several homes were reported destroyed. Emergency crews were working to locate people who may be trapped or injured and clear roads, several of which were impassable, the sheriff's office said. Damage was also reported near Tuscaloosa -- which was devastated by an EF-5 tornado nine months ago -- as well as south of Birmingham, officials said.

"There has been heavy damage in areas north of Tuscaloosa" from a possible tornado, David Hartin with Tuscaloosa Emergency Management said. "There are reports of a roof torn off of a home, several trees down, and lots of power outages." Video showed a building reduced to rubble. There was no information on any injuries.

Damage was also reported in Perry and Chilton counties in the central part of the state. In the Chilton County town of Maplesville, the National Weather service said there were reports of "major structural damage" with people trapped in homes.

About 39,300 customers were out of power statewide, mostly in the bottom two-thirds of the state, said Hallie Bradley, spokeswoman for Alabama Power. The outages peaked about 5 a.m. CT (6 a.m. ET) at 45,400, she said. The majority of the outages were near Birmingham, with 33,000, she said. Utility poles and power lines were reported down.

Schools in Tuscaloosa city and county were canceled Monday, the city said on Twitter. Schools in several locations near Birmingham delayed opening by two hours, according to The Birmingham News. Tuscaloosa was devastated by a tornado in April 2011. The twister was part of a record-breaking tornado outbreak -- 178 tornadoes over April 27-28, the largest recorded tornado outbreak in U.S. history. In Tuscaloosa and Birmingham, 61 people died in an EF-5 tornado on April 27. At least 243 people were killed statewide, and 39 of Alabama's 67 counties were designated for disaster assistance.

A tornado watch remained in effect for much of central Alabama until 10 a.m. (11 a.m. ET). A tornado watch for Jefferson and Tuscaloosa counties expired just after 5 a.m. (6 a.m. ET). The Oak Grove community was hard-hit by a tornado in April 1998. Thirty-two people were killed in Jefferson County and two more in St. Clair County, according to the National Weather Service.

In Arkansas, at least one person was hurt when a possible tornado touched down on the northern edge of Fordyce, in south-central Arkansas. Five or six homes were destroyed, and another 10 or 11 were moderately to severely damaged, said Jim Johnson of the Dallas County, Arkansas, emergency management office. "I've seen enough of these -- I'm sure it was a tornado," Johnson said.

One person who sustained minor injuries was treated and released at a hospital, Johnson said. Another woman was trapped in her home briefly, but she was not hurt, he said. The rough weather prompted authorities to close four roads, but crews were working to clear and reopen them, Johnson said. Power outages, which peaked at 3,700, were down to about 1,300 just before daybreak, he said.

Fordyce Mayor John MacNichol told CNN affiliate KATV that outages were widespread and not concentrated just in the Fordyce area.
While he said he was dreading a damage assessment after the sun rose, MacNichol said he was "tickled that nobody got seriously hurt." Possible tornadoes were also reported in Mississippi and Tennessee, according to the National Weather Service.