A line of violent storms packing tornadoes and damaging winds killed at least two people Tuesday, and weather authorities warned that more destruction is expected Wednesday.
The storms spawned dozens of tornadoes from Mississippi to South Carolina, and Bryan County Coroner Bill Cox in Georgia confirmed one death there but could not provide any additional details about the victim or manner of death, CNN reported.
Bryan County spokesman Matthew Kent confirmed to The Associated Press that the Georgia victim was a woman killed Tuesday evening in Pembroke when a suspected tornado ripped part of the roof from the Bryan County courthouse, destroyed the entrance to a local government building across the street and damaged homes in nearby neighborhoods.
A woman has died after a possible tornado moved through Pembroke, Georgia (Bryan County) early this evening. Prayers to her family. https://t.co/k5gJVg2jch
— Jessica Savage (@JessicaSavageTV) April 6, 2022
Kent said that the woman’s death occurred in one of the damaged neighborhoods, but he had no additional details.
Meanwhile, Whitehouse Mayor James Wansley confirmed to the AP that 71-year-old W.M. Soloman died when his home was crushed by a toppled tree.
Whitehouse updates aftermath of storms https://t.co/y8I1DAYQ0K -- The Whitehouse Police Department has identified W. M. Soloman as the individual who died during the storms that passed through the city early Tuesday morning. "Our prayers are with the friends and family of Mr. ...
— KTBB Radio (@KTBBRadio) April 5, 2022
As the storms marched across South Carolina late Tuesday evening, the state’s legislature, convened in Columbia, was evacuated because of a tornado warning.
“I know we have buildings damaged and power lines down,” Allendale County Manager William Goodson told the AP, noting that a tornado captured in a social media video wreaked havoc on the area, but the extent of the damage remained unclear.
Tornado spotted earlier in Allendale County. Damage reports coming in steadily. pic.twitter.com/SscR1ktJzg
— Laura Warren (@LauraWRDW) April 5, 2022
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the South Carolina Emergency Management Division confirmed to CNN that at least three people in the county suffered non-life-threatening injuries, but no deaths had been confirmed.
By 11 p.m. EDT, the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center counted a total of 35 tornado reports Tuesday from Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi and South Carolina, CNN reported.
According to the Storm Prediction Center, severe storms are possible again Wednesday across an area stretching from western Alabama to the western tip of the Carolinas, threatening more than 10 million people in metro areas, including Atlanta; Birmingham, Alabama; and Chattanooga, Tennessee.
-- The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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