Weather Service Surveys Tornado Damage in Southeast Alabama
Sunday turned deadly in Lee County. Authorities say at least 23 people died, including children, after a tornado slammed into the community of Beauregard. Search and rescue crews were out Monday to look for survivors. Teams from the National Weather Service in Birmingham Monday were evaluating six potential tornadoes in four Alabama counties. WBHM’s Andrew Yeager spoke about the storm with John De Block, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Birmingham.
Interview Highlights
What’s known so far about the devastating tornado in Lee County:
“We know the tornado struck shortly after 2 o’clock in the Macon County/Lee County line … from there it went into the Beauregard community area, progressed across southern portions of Lee County just north of Smiths Station … and it went on to the Alabama/Georgia state line and into Georgia … We did actually have a meteorologist down there last night, we’re talking at least an EF-3 strength tornado at this point.” That comes with wind speeds of up to 165 miles per hour.
What NWS teams will be looking for as they survey damage:
“What we’re going to be looking for today, and we believe we may have some instances where homes were completely swept off of their slabs or off of their foundations with very little remaining, just a field of debris. That’s going to get us perhaps up into the EF-4 category. Incredible devastation that we’re going to be looking at today and doing our best to get the beginning point to end point, the maximum winds speed, and the width of the path as well.”
Comments on social media that warning sirens didn’t sound in Lee County:
“Sirens should never be relied upon to make your decision to shelter. They’re outdoor warning sirens. They’re designed for community areas such as schools, ballparks, recreation areas for people that are outside to hear the siren and go seek shelter. You definitely need to have a device whether it’s a NOAA weather radio, some apps on your phone, that will alert you. And certainly there’s the wireless emergency alerts which will automatically make your phone sound like a sound you’ve never heard. It will get your attention and hopefully get you to safety. There really shouldn’t have been a surprise that there was severe weather encountered in the area.”
Top 5 takeaways from the House immigration oversight hearing
The hearing underscored how deeply divided Republicans and Democrats remain on top-level changes to immigration enforcement in the wake of the shootings of two U.S. citizens.
Snowboarder Chloe Kim is chasing an Olympic gold three-peat with a torn labrum
At 25, Chloe Kim could become the first halfpipe snowboarder to win three consecutive Olympic golds.
Pakistan-Afghanistan border closures paralyze trade along a key route
Trucks have been stuck at the closed border since October. Both countries are facing economic losses with no end in sight. The Taliban also banned all Pakistani pharmaceutical imports to Afghanistan.
Malinowski concedes to Mejia in Democratic House special primary in New Jersey
With the race still too close to call, former congressman Tom Malinowski conceded to challenger Analilia Mejia in a Democratic primary to replace the seat vacated by New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill.
A daughter reexamines her own family story in ‘The Mixed Marriage Project’
Dorothy Roberts' parents, a white anthropologist and a Black woman from Jamaica, spent years interviewing interracial couples in Chicago. Her memoir draws from their records.
FBI release photos and video of potential suspect in Guthrie disappearance
An armed, masked subject was caught on Nancy Guthrie's front doorbell camera one the morning she disappeared.
