At least 31 are left dead after more than 40 tornadoes rip across the South leaving 1.3M without power as shelters in Arkansas and Mississppi are opened despite lockdown because 'storm risk is greater than COVID-19 (51 Pics)
At least 31 people have been killed as dangerous thunderstorms and tornadoes rumbled through the Deep South on Easter Sunday into early Monday, forcing states to lift lockdown orders to allow locals to take shelter while practicing social distancing.
There were over 40 reports of tornadoes as the storm spiraled in a destructive path from Texas and Arkansas across Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and into the Carolinas, damaging hundreds of homes and leaving 1.3million without power.
In Mississippi officials said the tornadoes' threat to the community trumped that of COVID-19, forcing locals to flee their homes for sturdy shelters.
'That's always an issue - we emphasized to everyone that if they went into a shelter they had to maintain hygiene, wash their hands and use sanitizer and use masks but at the end of the day, life safety had to persist over everything else and the greater risk of the tornado overcame COVID,' Mississippi Emergency Management Agency Greg Michel said to Good Morning America on Monday.
Speaking on the risk of coronavirus in shelters he said, 'it's still a concern but we’ve got folks who live in rural areas - shelters were the only option they had.'
At least 31 people have been killed as dangerous thunderstorms and tornadoes rumbled through the Deep South on Easter Sunday, forcing states to lift lockdown orders to allow locals to take shelter while practicing social distancing. A home that was lifted off the ground in a strong tornado Sunday night and dropped onto a highway in Upson County, Georgia, pictured above
Shocking aerial footage shows how the fast tornado winds ripped the roofs off homes and forced walls to collapse in Monroe, Louisiana on Sunday
Homes were flattened and debris scattered across neighborhoods in the devastating wake of the Monroe, Louisiana tornado
Heartbreaking drone footage shows how family homes in Soso, Mississippi were left in pieces after a tornado rolled through and ripped the roof off and blew the walls down
Drone aerial footage displays the extent of the damage of a tornado that spiraled through Soso, Mississippi Sunday night
Shocking footage shows whole communities decimated from the twister that flattened buildings and downed trees in rural Soso, Mississippi Sunday evening
Many states were forced to lift coronavirus lockdown orders to open up storm shelters for residents, some saying the risk of the storm was greater than the virus itself. Residents of Starkville, Mississippi pictured in a storm shelter practicing social distancing and wearing masks
People were urged to head to tornado shelters but practice social distancing as they waited out the storms
'Life safety had to persist over everything else and the greater risk of the tornado overcame COVID,' Mississippi Emergency Management Agency Greg Michel said to GMA Monday morning on the difficult choice to open shelters during the pandemic
Executive Director of Mississippi Emergency Management Agency Greg Michel tells @GStephanopoulos how coronavirus has complicated their relief and rescue efforts following the deadly tornado outbreak in their state. gma.abc/2yP6gWm
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At least 11 people were killed in Mississippi, the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency confirmed – four in Jefferson Davis County, two in Jones, two in Lawrence, and one each in Carroll, Panola and Walthall counties.
At least eight people have been killed in South Carolina.
In Seneca Jack F. Harvill, 77, of Walhalla, was killed around 3.30am when a tornado struck the BorgWarner autoparts manufacturing plant where he worked as a security guard.
In Hampton County at least five people were killed. In Orangeburg County Sheriff Leroy Ravenell reported two people died when their home in Neeses was lifted by heavy winds and dropped on a highway.
At the Lowcountry Regional Airport in Walterboro, South Carolina at least a dozen airplanes were destroyed and hangars had their roofs ripped off in the tornado.
In Georgia at least seven people were killed when storms ripped through two mobile parks near the Tennessee border in Murray County. About two dozen were hurt in the twisters and two people are missing, according to Weather.com.
The twisters that ripped through Murray County had five-mile long paths of destruction.
Also in Georgia a 34-year-old man was killed about 1am on Monday when a large tornado ripped through Cartersville, Georgia, about 35 miles northwest from Atlanta, and a tree fell on his home, where he was asleep. Two other people in the home were injured.
The winds were so powerful in Georgia a twister lifted a home off the ground Sunday night and dropped it onto a highway in Upson County, as per CBS.
Jo and James Neely are stunned after living through the extremely destructive tornado that hit the Soso, Mississippi and nearby areas on Easter Sunday afternoon. Initial reporting from the National Storm Prediction Centers says the tornado may have been an EF-4 or 5 in strength
Amber Phillips stands outside the family's safe room, located on their property in Moss, Mississippi after a tornado razed the town late Sunday. While the rest of their home was obliterated in a matter of seconds Sunday afternoon, Phillips, her husband Andrew and their kids, ages 2 and 6 months, survived the storm without a scratch inside the small safe room, which doubles as a closet
The closet that saved their lives: The Phillips family's entire home was destroyed by a tornado that spiraled through Moss, Mississippi Sunday night. Following the disaster the only thing left standing was family's saferoom that doubled as a closet
A destroyed home in the Cherry Blossom Dr. neighborhood in Monroe, Louisiana pictured above Sunday after a twister razed through the area, downing residences and scattering debris in its wake
One Twitter user said that they believed the tornado they had pictured was 'up to two miles wide' with the user urging people to take cover
One person also died in Jefferson County, Arkansas on Sunday when a tree fell on a home, according to County Emergency Management.
In North Carolina 61-year-old woman Beverly Long was killed when a suspected tornado ripped through Davidson County early Monday morning and a tree fell on her trailer. The tree split the trailer in half and fatally hit Long. Her husband Maurice, 62, is in the hospital with cracked ribs and fractured wrists, according to Fox8.
The storms hit Chattanooga, Tennessee and several counties in northwest Georgia the hardest.
In Tennessee two people died in Hamilton County, including a 29-year-old Raffell Jenkins man who was killed by a tree that crushed him when it fell on his bedroom. His fiancée was lying right next to him in the incident but was able to crawl from under the ceiling debris with just minor injuries. His three children were unhamed in the next bedroom.
In Chattanooga at least 20 people were hospitalized and search and rescue teams from at least 10 fire departments went door to door rushing to respond to over 300 emergency calls for help. Over 200 structures were destroyed by the twisters in this county.
According to the National Weather Service an EF-3 tornado with winds estimated around 145mph was recorded in East Chattanooga.
Two of the fatalities in Lawrence County, Mississippi were identified as Robert Ainsworth and his wife Paula. He was a deputy with the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office and Marine Corps veteran. His wife Paula was a Walthall County Justice Court Deputy Clerk
In North Carolina 61-year-old woman Beverly Long was killed when a suspected tornado ripped through Davidson County early Monday morning and a tree fell on her trailer. The tree split the trailer in half and fatally hit Long. Her husband Maurice, 62, is in the hospital with cracked ribs and fractured wrists
Tornado damage pictured in Davidson County, North Carolina above, showing trees falling on top of trailers
Ethel Glover retrieves personal belongings from the remains her sisters storm damaged home April 13, 2020 in Livingston, South Carolina, where four were reported dead
Neighbors and relatives look through the yard of a storm-damaged home Monday morning after a tornado roamed through the area over night and destroyed homes and businesses in Livingston, South Carolina
Neighbors inspect a house for occupants in Monroe after an Easter tornado ripped through the town just before noon Sunday
In Alabama twisters destroyed buildings and battered cars, leaving behind only mangled pieces of metal
Officials in Mississippi and Alabama lifted lockdown orders to get their residents into shelters, despite the coronavirus pandemic.
At a shelter in Starkeville, Mississippi locals were seen practicing social distancing as they anxiously awaited for the storms to pass. Many were seen wearing face masks and standing at least six feet apart from each other, bearing the coronavirus in mind as they waited out the storm together.
Throughout the state residents seeking shelters were asked to 'please wear a mask, bandana or scarf'.
Some storm shelters handed out masks and gloves to locals, but others decided not to open at all.
A destroyed trailer pictured above in Chatsworth, Georgia on Monday after a tornado hit the area late Sunday
A razed home in Monroe, Louisiana pictured above following the strong tornado that killed at least 11 people on Sunday
Locals pictured sorting through what is left of their home after two powerful tornadoes swept through Soso, Mississippi Sunday
Mike Buchanan walks by downed trees from damage caused by two powerful tornadoes that swept through the area last night in Soso, Mississippi
The remnant of a destroyed home in Soso, Mississippi pictured above on Monday as devastated residents return to pick up what's left of their belongings
Firefighters pictured responding to this destroyed apartment where the walls and roof were ripped off in fierce tornado winds
Fire Chief Phil Hyman & Operations Chief Rick Boatwright pictured discussing response plans to the storm-torn areas of Chattanooga, Tennessee with mayor Andrew Berke early Monday
First responders: Fire Chief Phil Hyman and Police Chief David Roddy speak with cops and firefighters responding to hardest hit areas in Chattanooga, Tennessee on Monday
Firefighters pictured helping a resident get her cats out of the house so they can shelter elsewhere after her house was gravely battered in a tornado that whipped through Chattanooga
Destroyed Tennessee: A Bones Smokehouse delivery van was tossed in front of a damaged Goodwill Store on Monday in Chattanooga, Tennessee following Sunday's storms
Left in pieces: An Advance Auto Parts store lies in ruin Monday in Chattanooga with little remaining except a few tiles
Employees of an auto parts store look over damage to their building on Monday in Chattanooga
Nathan Fincher, left, and DeWarren Washington work to clear a street after trees fell on a Chattanooga, Tennessee road in Sunday's storms
In Alabama, the National Weather Service’s Birmingham division shared a post acknowledging the difficult decision locals had to make between protecting themselves from tornadoes or COVID-19.
'The decision to seek shelter in a community storm shelter is certainly made more difficult by the consideration for COVID-19, and each individual will need to make an educated decision on where and when to shelter from a tornado,' the agency wrote in a joint statement with the Alabama Department of Public Health on March 22.
'If a [tornado] warning is issued for your area, you are more likely to be affected by the tornado than the virus,' Alabama officials warned.
Alabama's Governor Kay Ivey suspended some stay-at-home orders in the state, saying that shelters and community safe rooms needed to stay open while 'implementing reasonable practices and procedures' to prevent spreading coronavirus.
Damaged planes and buildings seen at the Monroe Airport in the aftermath of a tornado in Monroe, Louisiana on April 12
Damaged buildings and vehicles are seen in the aftermath of a tornado in Monroe, Louisiana late Sunday
Neighbors and family help to clean a damaged home in Monroe, Louisiana after a tornado ripped through the town just before noon on Sunday, April 12
Rolanda Robinson calls family and friends from her brother's damaged home in Monroe, Louisiana after the twister struck
Downed power lines in the Cherry Blossom Dr. neighborhood in Monroe, Louisiana pictured Sunday after a twister whipped through the area
A home had its roof torn off after a tornado ripped through Monroe, Louisiana just before noon on Sunday
Strong storms pounded parts of the Deep South, including this house and shed in Yazoo County, Mississippi
A truck flipped on its side is seen in the aftermath of the devastating tornado that ripped through Monroe on Sunday
Damaged Coca Cola vehicles are seen in the aftermath of a tornado in Monroe, Louisiana late Sunday
There were over 40 reports of tornadoes as the storm spiraled in a destructive path from Texas and Arkansas across Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and into the Carolinas, damaging hundreds of homes and leaving 1.3million without power. Damaged building and a truck flipped on its side seen in tornado aftermath in Monroe, Louisiana on Sunday
However, Mayor Thomas Spraggins of Alexander City, Alabama told his constituents no shelters in his city would open due to the pandemic.
'I’ll be praying for everyone to have a safe and happy Easter,' he said in a video message Saturday on Facebook.
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves declared a state of emergency Sunday night.
'This is not how anyone wants to celebrate Easter Sunday,' Reeves said.
Two of the fatalities in Lawrence County, Mississippi were identified as Robert Ainsworth and his wife Paula. He was a deputy with the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office and Marine Corps veteran. His wife Paula was a Walthall County Justice Court Deputy Clerk.
'Robert left this world a hero, as he shielded Mrs. Paula during the tornado. He was a very valuable employee and will be greatly missed,' the Sheriff's Office said in a statement.
Storms will continue through Monday, this time pummeling the East Coast
This map shows that severe thunderstorm warnings are in place Monday morning for the East Coast from Florida to Virginia
Devastated locks pictured filming their wrecked neighborhood that was destroyed in a tornado that razed the area Sunday afternoon in Monroe, Louisiana
Sylvia Salley looks at the remains of her sisters storm damaged home April 13, 2020 in Livingston, South Carolina
Ethel Glover gets a hug in front of her sisters storm damaged home on Monday in Livingston, South Carolina
Pieces of a storm damaged home home partially cover a car in the tornado-ravaged town of Livingston, South Carolina on Monday
In Louisiana about 300 homes were damaged or destroyed in a powerful twister that raged through Monroe Sunday afternoon.
The city secured about 200 hotel rooms to shelter displaced families, trying to avoid housing large numbers of people in one place due to the pandemic.
The harsh weather will continue Monday with pounding rain and powerful winds in the East Coast, threatening millions.
Now about 25 million people along the East Coast are under a tornado watch through 6pm as the storm heads towards the Atlantic.
The National Weather Service said powerful winds are expected between noon and 7pm and gusts could reach up to 70 miles per hour in Massachusetts.
'Damaging winds will blow down trees and power lines. Widespread power outages are expected. Travel will be difficult, especially for high profile vehicles,' the agency said in the high wind warning.
Gov. Ned Lamont of Connecticut said state National Guard teams were dispatched Monday to all mobile field hospitals across state to monitor the situation and protect their infrastructure.
At least 31 are left dead after more than 40 tornadoes rip across the South leaving 1.3M without power as shelters in Arkansas and Mississppi are opened despite lockdown because 'storm risk is greater than COVID-19 (51 Pics)
![At least 31 are left dead after more than 40 tornadoes rip across the South leaving 1.3M without power as shelters in Arkansas and Mississppi are opened despite lockdown because 'storm risk is greater than COVID-19 (51 Pics)]()
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