3 Killed As Tornadoes Tear Through Gulf Coast States
States of emergency have been declared in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama after a powerful storm system spawned deadly twisters across the South.
A deadly storm system spawned tornadoes in five southern states Tuesday, killing three people, and the danger didn't end there.
The national Storm Prediction Center has warned that more--and potentially powerful--tornadoes are possible along the Atlantic coasts of the Carolinas and Virginia as the system moves east.
Meanwhile, the damage left behind in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and Florida stands as a grim warning to those states braced for impact on Wednesday afternoon into Wednesday night, officials said.
Severe storms and tornadoes killed 3 and injured many others Tues. Threat shifts east today: https://t.co/GKGPyGtEJ5 pic.twitter.com/NMR05TxhPD
— The Weather Channel (@weatherchannel) February 24, 2016
Three people are believed dead from the storms in Louisiana and Mississippi. Two of those individuals were reportedly killed in an especially hard hit mobile home park in Convent, Louisiana.
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Two people were killed in the park and 31 were hospitalized, St. James Parish Sheriff Willy Martin told local reporters.
Martin said authorities were searching the park to find any residents possibly trapped beneath rubble.
For the second time in as many weeks, a large tornado left major damage in Escambia County, located in the far western portion of the Florida Panhandle.
In Pensacola to tour damaged areas and speak with families following last night’s tornado. pic.twitter.com/1hA7J7JU4A
— Rick Scott (@FLGovScott) February 24, 2016
States of emergency have been declared in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.
In Mississippi, five confirmed tornadoes ripped across the southern part of the state. Area schools had been closed ahead of the storms to give students time to get home safely, reports the Weather Channel.
In Alabama, 8,000 customers were left without power Wednesday morning due to the storms.
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In Florida, the National Weather Service confirmed a tornado crossed Interstate 10 in Escambia County, flipping cars and a tractor trailer as it went.
Pensacola Tornado Damage - credit https://t.co/R2EPAITRHh
— SevereStudios (@severestudios) February 24, 2016
WATCH: https://t.co/GLauQ0T00s pic.twitter.com/2FhkySCnSz
It was the second destructive tornado to hit the Florida panhandle in two weeks.
The same storm system the spawned the destructive twisters is expected to do the same in the Carolinas and possibly Virginia.
Severe thunderstorms were expected to strike the region, bringing with them flash flooding, damaging winds and hail, in addition to isolated tornadoes.
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