Powerful Storms Rip Through Northern Florida Killing At Least Five
There are at least five people reported dead after a strong storm trampled through the Southeast on Monday near the Alabama Florida line.
According to NPR, one man in the Florida panhandle drowns and another four people died in southern Alabama when a tree fell on their mobile home.
Andrew Yeager of WBHM in Birmingham, Ala. reported that the mobile home was in a small town called Rehobeth, which is near the state line. He also reported:
“The local emergency management agency says a tornado touched down nearby, tearing up trees and blocking roadways. With the severe weather through, officials are now warning of flooding as some areas saw as much as 5 inches of rain.”
Flash flooding along creeks and rivers remains a big danger to those in the area. The National Weather Service had issued flood warnings for some of the areas in Alabama on Monday and as of Tuesday morning they were still in effect.
Robert Bentley, Alabama’s Governor, tweeted Monday night in reference to the storms and offered “prayers for those impacted.”
Just spoke w/ Houston Co Sheriff Donald Valenza. Confirmed 4 fatalities in one structure in Rehobeth area. Prayers for those impacted today.
— Gov. Robert Bentley (@GovernorBentley) January 3, 2017
In Florida, the Walton County Sheriff’s Office released a statement to NPR saying that deputies discovered the body of William Patrick Corley, 70, floating face down Monday. He was found near his home in Mossy Head and his car was partially submerged. The Walton County Sheriff’s Office also said the following:
“As the weather continues to worse we encourage the public to stay informed to local weather alerts. Walton County Emergency Management is a great resource for this information. The National Weather Service in Tallahassee has issued a Flash Flood Warning for Northern Walton County until 10:45pm Monday.”
The storm system began in Texas and then moved east into Louisiana and Mississippi before heading towards Alabama, Florida and Georgia.
