Almost a hundred people were injured as tornadoes swept through Alabama and Mississippi on Saturday afternoon. Tuscaloosa County Sheriff Ted Sexton said 367 homes south of Tuscaloosa were damaged or destroyed by one tornado.
About 3,800 households remained without electric power in the Tuscaloosa area. "Efforts are being made to get all homes that can receive electricity back on line by midnight tonight," said Gov. Don Siegelman, who viewed the devastation from a helicopter.
"Cleanup crews are at work and will continue to stay at work until their job is done. Frankly, it will be a long time before the effects of this tornado are mended. My heart and prayers go out to the families who lost their loved ones," he said.
Siegelman, who declared a state of emergency in Tuscaloosa, said Federal Emergency Management Agency director James Lee Witt was scheduled to arrive on Tuesday to tour damaged areas of Etowah and Tuscaloosa counties.
Lee Helms, executive director of operations for the Alabama Emergency Management Agency, said crews were working to provide tornado victims with food, clothing and shelter.
"We are certainly making sure that all the immediate needs are being met," Helms said. "We will be on the ground tomorrow in every affected area ... to determine the total extent of the damage statewide."
Willie Alexander, the agency's acting director, said 110 National Guardsmen had been called in to provide assistance. "We will continue to operate as long as that need exists," he said.
Hundreds of people stayed overnight in an emergency shelters at Shelton State Community College and Valley View Baptist Church.
Spokesman Sammy Watson said 39 people were treated in the emergency room of the DCH Regional Medical Center, while 15 were treated at the Northport Medical Center.
Etowah County Sheriff James Hayes said the damage "looks like an atomic bomb was dropped" in the Coates Bend community, where dozens of homes were destroyed.
Another tornado damaged five homes and caused minor damage to the Ashville High School in Ashville. Two people suffered minor injuries.
Tornadoes and high winds also caused damage in Mississippi and Georgia on Saturday. Winds gusted to 75 miles per hour in Vienna, Ga., on Saturday night.
Copyright 2000 by United Press International.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.