A Horrific Two Days: 8 Dead, More Than Two Dozen Tornadoes Confirmed

A tornado outbreak that started Tuesday continued into a second full day of destruction and tragedy yesterday as the powerful storm system shifted from the southeast into the mid-Atlantic and Northeast, killing four more people in Virginia.

The storm system has spanned hundreds of miles and more than a dozen states since the first tornado was spawned early Tuesday morning in Texas. Since then, hundreds of homes have been destroyed and towns in several regions are faced with an extensive cleanup from these damaging storms.

As of Thursday morning, survey teams from the National Weather Service have confirmed 35 tornadoes in this outbreak, and crews will likely confirm more this afternoon. These twisters have killed a total of seven people, and another person was killed by a falling tree in South Carolina.

Check out this picture from Michael Campbell and @SSDispatch of a trailer that was heavily damaged  in the town of Waverly, VA.

This tornado outbreak certainly reminds us of the importance of severe weather awareness. Tornadoes touched down in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia. A man in South carolina was also killed from a falling tree. Darlington County officials confirmed to the Morning News that 58-year-old Michael Gaines Sr. was killed by a falling tree brought down by strong winds Wednesday. He stopped along Gilchrist Road in Darlington to clear storm debris from the road when the tree fell on him, the report added.

Virginia

Four people were killed by reported tornadoes in the Commonwealth on Wednesday – the first two killer tornadoes reported in Virginia in the month of February since records began, according to USA Today.

The Associated Press reported two men and a 2-year-old child were killed when their mobile home was destroyed by an apparent tornado in the town of Waverly Wednesday afternoon. In Appomattox County, Virginia, a man who went missing after severe weather destroyed his home in Evergreen was found dead Wednesday evening, WDBJ-TV said. The victims have not been identified.

The three victims in Waverly were found approximately 300 yards from their mobile home, and their bodies were taken to a medical examiner’s office in Norfolk for identification. The NWS confirmed an EF1 tornado in Waverly, with wind speeds as high as 110 mph.

Pennsylvania

Multiple buildings in Salisbury Township were destroyed by the storm Wednesday, including two 600-foot chicken houses, the AP reported.

Across the street from the chicken houses, which contained 16,000 birds, the roof of a house was blown off, according to Lancaster Online. Pieces of metal became lodged in trees, many of which were also stripped of their branches.

In Lancaster County, the storm collapsed a barn and tore off the roof of the Pequea Evangelical Congregational Church Wednesday, Lancaster Online also reported. A building was partially collapsed on East Harrisburg Avenue and a roof was blown off of a building on Bossler Road. High water was reported on several roads and emergency crews had to be dispatched to help stranded motorists in Salisbury, Rapho, Mount Joy and Sadsbury townships.

In a preliminary survey, the NWS studied damage from Lancaster County and determined a tornado with a strength of at least EF1 hit the area. This is only the second tornado to hit Pennsylvania in February since records began in 1950; a Feb. 16, 1990 F1 tornado near Boalsburg was the only other recorded occurrence, according to the National Centers for Environmental Information.

No injuries were reported from the storms in Pennsylvania Wednesday night.

North Carolina

Severe storms left damage in the Tar Heel State Wednesday afternoon. In Wayne County, a mobile home was destroyed by strong winds or possibly a tornado near Indian Springs, according to an NWS storm report.

WRAL.com reported the roof was torn off of a home near Oxford and a tree collapsed on another home nearby. The resident of the second home, who has lived there for more than 50 years, weathered the storm in a bathtub. A local farmer lost two silos, a tractor trailer and another piece of equipment in the storm, but his herd of cattle were unharmed.  Straight-line winds blew cars into a ditch near the Fayetteville Regional Airport, WRAL.com also said.

As of Thursday morning, almost 47,000 customers in the Carolinas remained without power, according to Duke Energy.

There were reports of softball-sized hail in areas throughout the state.

Two people were killed Tuesday at a trailer park in Convent, where dozens of trailers were destroyed by a confirmed EF2 tornado with wind speeds as high as 135 mph.

The sheriff’s office told WRBZ-TV the trailer park had some 160 homes and about 300 residents. In total, 31 people were hospitalized from the trailer park, and seven were in critical condition.

One of the two people killed has been identified as 59-year-old David Eugene Swann of Satsuma, Alabama, according to the Advocate. The other fatality was an unidentified male, an official told the Advocate.

Ten tornadoes have been confirmed so far in Louisiana, four of which were rated EF2.

Gov. John Bel Edwards issued a state of emergency Tuesday for seven different parishes across the state, including St. Johns, Assumption and Washington following the destructive storms.

Major damage occurred late Tuesday morning in Prairieville, southeast of Baton Rouge, where a Gold’s Gym and several other buildings nearby were heavily damaged around the time a tornado was reported in the area. Just 18 miles northeast, in Livingston, several homes had their roofs completely torn off.

A radar confirmed tornado touched down near Paincourtville in Assumption Parish Tuesday and tracked eastward through parts of Belle Rose, Donaldsonville, Welcome and Convent.

The Assumption Parish Sheriff reported severe damage to businesses in Paincourtville and damage to a home in Belle River. Photos on Twitter showed the Paincourtville water tower destroyed, semi trucks at a Paincourtville business tipped over, andhouses in both Paincourtville and Bell Rose torn apart.

Florida

For the second time in as many weeks, a large tornado, rated EF3, left major damage Tuesday night in Escambia County, located in the far western portion of the Florida Panhandle. Gov. Rick Scott, who traveled to Pensacola to view the damage and declared a state of emergency for Escambia and Santa Rosa counties, said the twister heavily damaged more than 70 homes and 24 apartments in Escambia County.

The National Weather Service confirmed a twister that crossed Interstate 10, flipping several cars and a tractor trailer on the Escambia Bay Bridge, leaving the highway closed from mile marker 17 to mile marker 43.

At least six injuries were reported at the complex, but none of those were believed to be major, officials said. The Escambia County Fire and Rescue also reported a “catastrophic” gas leak. On-scene crews aided in search and rescue duties for any who may be entrapped by debris.

Four people were taken to the hospital with injuries from Grand Baroque Apartments on Scenic Highway, according to a FOX 10 report.

At least three more tornadoes were in progress in the state Wednesday, the NWS has confirmed. An EF1 twister left 33 homes damaged – five with major damage – in Port Charlotte, an EF1 hit areas near Duette and an EF0 was confirmed in Murdock.

There have been no fatalities reported from these tornadoes.

Mississippi

Lamar County officials confirmed to WDAM-TV that there was one tornado fatality near the town of Purvis on Tuesday. Vann Byrd of the Lamar County Emergency Management Agency says the death occurred in a mobile home west of Purvis.

The victim was identified as 73-year-old Harris Dale Purvis. This tornado was rated EF2 by a survey crew from the NWS.

Two radar-confirmed tornadoes were spotted in Mississippi early Tuesday evening, one in southern Marion County and the other near Bogalusa in Pearl River County. According to the SPC, as many as five tornadoes were reported Tuesday in southern parts of the state.

Gov. Phil Bryant issued a state of emergency for all areas of the state that may be affected by severe weather, ahead of Tuesday’s storms, Mississippi News Now reported.

Three EF1 tornadoes hit the state during this outbreak, according to the NWS. Those twisters were confirmed in Greene, Pearl River and Lincoln counties. Another tornado was confirmed in Yazoo County, rated EF0 following a damage survey. In Simpson County, an EF0 tornado was confirmed, and another EF0 was confirmed in Forrest County.

Alabama

The NWS has confirmed five tornadoes in Alabama from this tornado outbreak:

• EF1: Marion County, near Hackleburg
• EF1: Houston County
• EF1: Houston and Dale counties
• EF0: Pickens County
• EF0: Houston County

Gov. Robert Bentley declared a state of emergency early Tuesday evening as the storm systems approached Alabama.

According to officials, about 100 homes were damaged by the storm Tuesday in Dothan and roofs were ripped off of homes in Rehobeth and Headland, according to the AP. At least 14,000 customers of Alabama Power Co. were without power during the storm’s height.

Georgia

A survey crew from the NWS confirmed an EF1 tornado hit Grady County in southern Georgia Tuesday night. The twister had maximum winds of 90 mph and was 400 yards wide, according to the damage survey. It was in progress for 12.9 miles.

Early Wednesday morning, an EF1 tornado was briefly in progress in Lee County. A storm survey found the twister had maximum winds of 105 mph but was only on the ground for one minute.

Texas

Classes were canceled Tuesday in two southern Texas school districts after power outages and damage made it dangerous for students to attend. On Facebook, the Brackett Independent School District said damage to school buildings and vehicles from Tuesday morning’s storms forced officials to call off school, while power outages canceled classes for the San Felipe Del Rio Consolidated Independent School District. About 10,000 customers in Del Rio were without power Tuesday morning, AEP Texas reported.

A Houston Independent School District bus driver suffered minor injuries when a school bus flipped onto its side in rainy conditions, according to the AP. There were no students aboard the bus when the accident occurred along Highway 288 at about dawn Tuesday morning, Houston ISD spokesperson Lila Hollin told the AP.

The NWS confirmed an EF0 tornado touched down early Tuesday morning in Wharton County, east-southeast of Boiling-lago.

**Content is contributed from @Sean_Breslin and The Weather Channel**

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