Southern Storms Leave New Path Of Destruction This Week
November 18, 2011
Southern storms that originated from the Deep South before the daybreak on Wednesday claimed at least six lives and injured dozens. A powerful storm system spawned several tornadoes as it moved through the Southeast during the day.
A potent tornado-inciting storm system flattened homes and killed three people as it moved through the southern parts of Rock Hill, South Carolina on Wednesday.
A number of tornado sightings were reported from Louisiana. Reports of suspected tornadoes were also received from Mississippi, Alabama and South Carolina. Several homes, buildings and other structures were damaged by the storm. The storm downed power lines at different places leaving thousands of people without electricity. Many trees were also downed by the storm.
A possible tornado killed three people and injured five in South Carolina when it passed through a rural community located close to Rock Hill, about 20 miles in the south of Charlotte, N.C. A man lost his life in north Georgia when a tree fell over his vehicle. According to the authorities, a child and an adult were also killed in central North Carolina.
A likely twister shattered many trees and destroyed several mobile homes at a couple of housing parks situated close to Auburn University, in eastern Alabama.
As per Don McKinnon, Emergency Director Jones County, some persons were trapped for a short time as trees fell on the houses in southeastern Mississippi. Mobile homes in the area were lifted off their foundations. Altogether, 15 people got injured across the region.
Ten people were hurt when a suspected tornado swept through a region in the south of Lexington, N.C. The tornado destroyed a building and damaged several other structures and left thousands without power.
Weather forecasters stated that a cold front extending from the Gulf through the Northeast was responsible for the drop in temperatures. In certain regions, temperatures dropped into the 50s from the low 70s. Wind gusts of up to 30 mph were also recorded.
In Alabama, several areas reported the damage caused by the storm. An old woman was taken to the hospital after she got injured when a tree fell on her house in Sumter County, which is located in the west-central region of the state.
A likely tornado passed through a neighborhood in Houma, Sothern Louisiana. A home in the locality was splintered in the event. Crews were seen cleaning up debris nearby a school after the storm. Workers of the Red Cross were also dispatched to assess the damage caused by the storm.
Many in South Florida Affected by Flooding
November 1, 2011
Following upward of a foot of rainfall over the weekend, Miami Beach, Fort Lauderdale and other communities in South Florida are slowing beginning to recover from flooding. Much of South Florida is swamped with roads and yards looking like lakes and many homes and garages having many inches of water inside.
The South Florida Water Management District handles the region’s flood control system. It has lowered many canals in the area and has been ensuring that pumps and flood gates are operating as they should. However, the water has been very slow in draining off many areas such as in Miami Beach and Oakland Park. Many streets are still awash despite the fact that the rains have eased up since the weekend.
This is supposed to be South Florida’s dry season. However, this was the 3rd weekend in a row in October which consisted of heavy rainfall leaving many residents wondering why their yards look like lakes. In Oakland Park, water inside several homes and businesses was knee-deep, leaving bewildered residents and business owners left to face cleaning up extensive water damage. Even though Oakland Park began preparing for the weekend rainfall early by clearing storm drains, the more than six inches of rain that fell during high tide caused severe flooding on the already-saturated ground.
The American Red Cross opened an assistance center in Fort Lauderdale to help those people who had to leave their flooded homes. The center is to stay open until further notice. Fort Lauderdale Beach took the brunt of the rains as over twelve inches feel. Coconut Grove did not fare much better as it got nearly 11 inches followed by Palmetto Bay with nearly 9 inches.
Officials in Broward County are warning residents to practice extreme caution as floodwater may contain raw sewage. People are being told to throw away food items which may have come in contact with contaminated water and not to walk through floodwater as it is not safe to do so. Many flood restoration teams were busy at work Monday throughout South Florida helping those affected get their lives back to normal as quickly as possible.
Even though the majority of South Florida has good drainage via a network of canals, storm drains can easily back up during periods of heavy rains. Water-weary residents throughout South Florida are hoping that November is a dry month so that they can complete their cleanup tasks and see their lives return to normal once again.
