Coroner Releases Names of 23 Tornado Victims

 ========= Old Image Removed =========Array
(
    [_wp_attached_file] => Array
        (
            [0] => 2019/03/Lee_County_Tornado_Home.jpg
        )

    [_wp_attachment_metadata] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:5:{s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:337;s:4:"file";s:35:"2019/03/Lee_County_Tornado_Home.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:6:{s:6:"medium";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:35:"Lee_County_Tornado_Home-336x189.jpg";s:5:"width";i:336;s:6:"height";i:189;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:35:"Lee_County_Tornado_Home-140x140.jpg";s:5:"width";i:140;s:6:"height";i:140;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"wbhm-icon";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:33:"Lee_County_Tornado_Home-80x80.jpg";s:5:"width";i:80;s:6:"height";i:80;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:18:"wbhm-featured-home";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:35:"Lee_County_Tornado_Home-554x311.jpg";s:5:"width";i:554;s:6:"height";i:311;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:22:"wbhm-featured-carousel";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:35:"Lee_County_Tornado_Home-470x265.jpg";s:5:"width";i:470;s:6:"height";i:265;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:14:"post-thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:35:"Lee_County_Tornado_Home-125x125.jpg";s:5:"width";i:125;s:6:"height";i:125;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:12:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";s:11:"orientation";s:1:"0";s:8:"keywords";a:0:{}}}
        )

    [_imagify_data] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:2:{s:5:"sizes";a:1:{s:4:"full";a:2:{s:7:"success";b:0;s:5:"error";s:37:"The backup directory is not writable.";}}s:5:"stats";a:3:{s:13:"original_size";i:0;s:14:"optimized_size";i:0;s:7:"percent";i:0;}}
        )

    [_imagify_status] => Array
        (
            [0] => error
        )

    [_imagify_optimization_level] => Array
        (
            [0] => 0
        )

    [_media_credit] => Array
        (
            [0] => Miranda Fulmore
        )

    [_navis_media_credit_org] => Array
        (
            [0] =>  WBHM
        )

    [_navis_media_can_distribute] => Array
        (
            [0] => 
        )

)
1663526784 
1551792912

Officials on Tuesday released the names and ages of the 23 tornado victims in Lee County. They range in age from six to 89 years old. Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones says the death toll hasn’t increased, but seven to eight people are still missing.

County coroner Bill Harris says the EF-4 tornado, with winds estimated at 170 mph, killed seven people in one family – alone.

“We believe that every victim was in the residence when the storm hit,” he says.

Overall, four of the deaths were children ages 6, 8, 9, and 10. Close to half of the victims were older than 60. Most of the 90 people injured have been released from the hospital.

National Weather Service Meteorologist Chris Darden says people didn’t have much time to go far. “Right on the county line there probably about five minutes of warning but right here in town there was about eight to nine minutes.”

Darden estimates the Lee County tornado continued into Georgia for about 46 more miles. Three of Sunday’s tornadoes in surrounding counties have also been upgraded to an EF-2.

Beauregard, an unincorporated area of about 10,000 people near the Georgia line, was hardest hit.

 

 

For a girl-group veteran, love and fame are the same battlefield

Jade conquered the world with Little Mix, then watched the quartet burn out. On a kinetic solo debut, she puts romance in the ring with her first love: performance.

Trump says he disagrees with Starmer’s decision to recognize Palestinian state

President Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer talked about foreign affairs privately for about an hour, including the conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine.

Care close to home: how a rural doctor meets medical needs in Alabama’s countryside

Doctors are harder to come by in rural Alabama than in big cities. That’s why Cahaba Medical Care developed a residency program that both trains and then hires doctors in rural clinics.

Federal judge orders Jefferson County to redraw racially gerrymandered districts

U.S. District Judge Madeline H. Haikala ruled the county map was unconstitutional because race was the predominant factor when the Jefferson County Commission drew districts.

To save its unique and rare birds, New Zealand is turning to AI and genetic research

New Zealand is planning to eradicate millions of invasive animals that prey on the country's rare birds. The goal may not be possible, unless new technology can be developed to do it.

UC Berkeley professor warns of ‘unprecedented crackdown’ on academic freedom

UC Berkeley told 160 faculty, staff and students that their names were included in files shared with the federal government related to "alleged antisemitic incidents." We hear from one of them.

More Environment Coverage