Three die in the South after tornadoes, severe weather wreak havoc

By Melanie Eversley

·April 19, 2019

Sonya Banes reacts to a large oak tree that crashed through the patio of her mother's house in Learned, Miss., Thursday, April 18. Several homes were damaged by fallen trees in the community. Strong storms again roared across the South . (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

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An Alabama woman whose home was crushed by a tree died Thursday, along with two more people in Mississippi after tornadoes and severe thunderstorms barreled through the South, The Weather Channel’s website Weather.com is reporting.

The extreme weather blew over cars and caused widespread flooding, according to the website. Tens of thousands of people were left without power as the storms moved across five states and spawned nine tornadoes in Mississippi, according to the station.

In St. Clair County, Ala., Monica Clements, 42, died after a tree fell on her home, authorities said.

In Neshoba County, Miss., one person died after a tree fell on a vehicle, Sheriff Tommy Waddell told the Neshoba Democrat.

In Gillsburg, Miss., Kenderick Magee, 24, died as he was driving through the storm, Jackson station WLBT reported.

In Forsyth County, Ga., three firefighters were hurt after their truck completely turned over on wet roads.

The storms were still moving through Tennessee, Georgia and Florida on Friday morning and there was a risk of strong winds passing through Virginia and the Carolinas, according to Weather.com.

Organizations and entities were taking steps to weather the storms and winds.

Delta Airlines announced that it would allow passengers who were scheduled to fly from or to a dozen airports to change their itineraries at no cost. Airports in New York, Washington and Boston were among those affected.

At least two school districts in Georgia closed schools on Friday and Florida State University, in Tallahassee, announced it would not open for classes until 10 a.m. ET on Friday, The Weather Channel reported.

Schools in Irwin County and Banks County, both in Georgia, also were closed on Friday while those in Butts County were scheduled to open two hours later than normal.

In the Raleigh, N.C., area, several churches were canceling Good Friday services, and in South Carolina, the Colleton County School District was dismissing students early.