2024-04-10 22:25:23
10 April 2024
Updated 11 April 2024
Video caption, Watch: Floods and tornadoes cause damage in US Gulf states
A severe weather system has caused widespread flooding and tornadoes, bringing storm damage to the US South.
Large areas across the states of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama were affected, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).
The system has moved east, with parts of Florida and Georgia now covered by storm and flash-flood warnings.
One death was earlier reported in Scott County, Mississippi, regarding 200 miles (320km) north of New Orleans.
The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency did not give further details regarding Tuesday’s incident or the cause of death. A second person was injured.
Amid severe conditions on Wednesday, tracking site PowerOutage.us showed a peak of more than 200,000 customers across the region without power – a number that reduced over time.
Flash flooding was reported in the New Orleans area, where more than a month’s worth of rain was recorded over just a few hours, and several suspected tornadoes caused damage across the Gulf Coast region.
Police in Slidell, Louisiana, said at least 10 people were injured and taken to hospital for treatment following a possible tornado.
Officers also said they had rescued regarding 50 people in the city, as another local official described “catastrophic” damage.
Another confirmed twister hit the town of Lake Charles, Louisiana. Homes were damaged but there were no reports of injuries.
The storm front moved eastward throughout the day and parts of southeast Alabama, Florida and Georgia spent the evening under tornado warnings. By Thursday morning, NWS flash-flood warnings were in place in multiple parts of Florida.
Earlier, the same storm front brought severe weather to Texas, with another suspected tornado touching down outside of Houston overnight on Tuesday.
In south-eastern Texas, floods caused evacuations and closed highways, and rescue operations are ongoing, according to CBS News and local reports.
By Thursday morning, the NWS had a number of flash-flood warnings covering more easterly areas, including multiple parts of Florida.
Sport has also been impacted, with the start of the golf Masters delayed because of thunderstorms at Augusta National in Georgia.
The opening tee shots were due to be struck at 08:00 local time (13:00 BST), but “heavy rainfall and wind gusts of 40-45mph” prompted a postponement “until further notice”.
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