Death Toll Rises From Tornadoes In Southern States

By Jerry Garner

Initial estimates for the death toll from Thursday’s outbreak of deadly tornadoes were sketchy. Initial reports claimed that 17 had died as a result of the storms. That figure was later dropped to 11 across the states of Alabama, Georgia and Missouri. There are presently 20 confirmed fatalities, with more expected to be discovered as rescue workers sift through the rubble of damaged buildings.

Worst hit by the series of storms was the state of Alabama, where Governor Bob Riley declared a state of emergency and dispatched as many as 100 National Guard troops. The National Guard troops were sent to assist rescue workers in the town of Enterprise, which was the worst hit area of the state.

National Guard helicopters were seen touching down on the football field of Enterprise High School, which suffered a direct hit from the twister. As many as 4 students and 1 teacher have been confirmed to have died at the high school, where the roof collapsed as a result of the strong winds associated with the storm.

Most schools in the state had been closed by 12:30 that day, but Enterprise failed to take action fast enough. At 11:00 AM school officials ordered students to take cover in the hallways of the building as a measure for their own safety. By 1:00 PM officials wanted to send students home, but by that time the weather had grown too dangerous to allow anyone outside the building. A short time later the twister hit.

“All schools in Alabama dismissed at 12:30,” said survivor Joe Sinclair, in an interview with reporters from Alabama television station WKRN. “I don't know why they kept those kids in school.”

Although schools are typically safe places during such storms, they are not designed for the direct impact suffered as part of Thursday’s storms. The most violent tornadoes can generate wind speeds of up to 250 mph (400 kph). Although the damage page can be more than a mile wide and as much as 50 miles long, a direct impact with a populous building, such as the impact with Enterprise High School, are actually rare.

Elsewhere in the country, storm cells in Georgia are reported to have killed at least three people and caused an unknown number of injuries. In Missouri, a 7 year-old girl died when the mobile home she was in fell victim to a tornado. Rescue workers in all states said that the death toll is expected to continue rising as officials sift through debris and wreckage left behind in the aftermath of these storms.

According to a White House spokesperson, President George Bush telephoned the Governors of Alabama and Missouri, the hardest hit areas of the outbreak, to extend his condolences and to offer aid.

The outbreak of deadly storms came just one month after a similar series of storms killed 20 people in Central Florida. Each year, and average of 1,000 tornadoes are reported in the United States, which cause around 80 deaths and around 1,500 reported injuries.

According to the U.S. National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, the deadliest outbreak on record occurred on March 18, 1925. That twister killed 695 people and caused more than 2,000 injuries across Missouri, Illinois and Indiana.

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