Officials assessed the damage on Sunday after a strong storm system moved across the southern US over the weekend, spawning tornadoes and killing at least four people, the
AP reports. There were at least 45 reports of tornado damage across Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia, said Brian Hurley, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Center. Crews will do damage surveys to confirm tornadoes. The storms during busy holiday travels caused some treacherous road conditions along with delays or cancellations at some of the busiest US airports. As of Sunday afternoon, there were over 600 flight delays affecting Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, according to flight tracker FlightAware.
"It's not unheard of, but it is fairly uncommon to have a severe weather outbreak of this magnitude this late in the year," said Frank Pereira, a meteorologist with the Weather Prediction Center. In the Houston area, National Weather Service storm survey crews confirmed that at least five tornadoes hit north and south of the city on Saturday. At least one person died, a 48-year-old woman found about 100 feet from her home in the Liverpool area, said Madison Polston of the Brazoria County Sheriff's Office. Four other people in Brazoria County had injuries that weren't considered critical, said Polston, adding that at least 40 homes and buildings were significantly damaged. In Montgomery County, north of Houston, about 30 homes were destroyed and about 50 others sustained major damage, county official Jason Smith said.
In North Carolina, a 70-year-old man was killed Sunday in Statesville, just north of Charlotte, when a tree landed on the pickup truck he was driving. Highway Patrol Trooper DJ Maffucci said "it was just a freak accident" and he believed Matthew Teeple, of Cleveland, North Carolina, was killed instantly. Two people were killed in storms in Mississippi, officials said. An 18-year-old died after a tree fell on her home Saturday night in Natchez in Adams County, said Emergency Management spokesperson Neifa Hardy. Two other people in the home were injured. Another person died in Lowndes County and at least eight more were injured across the state, officials said. This story has been updated with the latest death toll and other details.
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