WAVERLY, Va. (AP) – Storms systems brought tornadoes to the East Coast – killing four in Virginia – heavy snow that canceled hundreds of flights in the Midwest and power outages that left hundreds of thousands across several states in the dark.
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The National Weather Service in Wakefield said Thursday morning that they are dispatching survey teams to those areas to assess damage and confirm any of the tornado reports. The Red Cross has taken over assisting those still in need, county officials said.
One witness told CNN affiliate WAVY that the destruction in the small town of Waverly was “completely devastating”. Storm debris in the funnel’s five-mile path left Routes 460 and 40 impassable both in and leading into Waverly.
– Three were killed in the South on Tuesday.
The governor’s final stop is Tappahannock.
A storm earlier on Wednesday destroyed a mobile home in Wayne County in central North Carolina and wind gusts of up to 53 miles per hour were reported at the Columbia Metropolitan Airport in SC, the NWS said.
But others in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida were not so fortunate. All Appomattox County schools were closed Thursday.
A tornado caused widespread damage at an RV park in Louisiana on Tuesday, Feb. 23.
One man died after his home was destroyed in the storm. Poche’ was not sure of Ellis’ hometown.
Seven people were critically injured, St. James Parish Sheriff Willy J. Martin said.
The weather service will most likely send out people to inspect the damage in Lancaster to determine if a tornado moved through the area. He ran into the house and told his family to hit the ground, just as the windows exploded. Seven of them were in critical condition, he said. The storms killed another person in MS and damaged about 100 homes in Pensacola, Florida. She says about 20 of those were severely damaged, including some that were flattened. The majority of the damage from Tuesday night occurred in the Louisiana towns of Convent and Paincourtville, Lamar County in MS and Pensacola, Florida.
He said Thursday autopsies have been performed, but did not have the results.
Among the hardest hit was the Mississippi River hamlet of Convent, in St. James Parish, Louisiana, where state officials said two people died and dozens were injured at one trailer park. The National Weather Service had no verified reports that a tornado formed. While there is still some uncertainty, some weather suggests strong tornadoes would be possible. They were in Lacombe, Kenner, Montpelier (mon-PEEL’-yay), and Prairieville.
“We’re swamped with tornadoes on the ground here”, said Weather Service forecaster Brandon Dunston in Raleigh.
Two states below in SC, a man in Darlington County was killed when a pine tree fell because of the storms.
Mr Hardee said the death is being investigated by his office and the sheriff’s office.
Gardner said he and his uncle were OK, but a good friend of his was one of those killed.
In addition, SPC has issued a moderate risk for parts of eastern North Carolina and southeast Virginia Wednesday, where a couple of strong tornadoes (EF2 or higher rating) are possible.
From Southside Virginia to the coastal plain of the Chesapeake Bay, a series of twisters lashed the state Wednesday, killing four, destroying or damaging dozens of buildings and injuring an equal number of people.
Gov. Terry McAuliffe has declared a state of emergency in response to a powerful storm that left three people dead.
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Brig. Gen. Paul F. Griffin, director of the Virginia National Guard joint staff, says the initial plan is to provide support for Essex, Richmond, Westmoreland, Sussex and Patrick counties.
