Christmas storm woes continue as tornado hits Alabama

Flooding was reported in counties all through the region, as heavy rain continued to fall.

National Weather Service meteorologist Jody Aaron said the twister was confirmed to have touched down in the southwestern portion of Birmingham at about 5pm Central time, (2300 GMT).

There have been no reports of fatal casualties.

The Alabama tornado is the latest development in an ongoing series of storms that has hammered the South during Christmas week.

A tornado has struck Birmingham, Alabama, damaging houses, uprooting trees and injuring at least three people in the state’s largest city, law enforcement and weather officials say.

A flood warning was also in effect for the Coosa River, swollen by up to 8 inches of rain over the past week. But Perkins – who survived hunkered down inside a closet with her husband – said she was happy just to be alive.

The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency says it has received reports of another death and another missing person attributed to the severe weather system that is still impacting the state.

Perkins’ neighbors weren’t as fortunate.

So far, the storms have caused widespread damage to more than 100 homes and businesses in Mississippi.

Among the dead were seven people from MS, including a 7-year-old boy who perished while riding in a auto that was swept up and tossed by storm winds. Seven people died in MS and one person was killed in Arkansas.

Birmingham Mayor William Bell said at the scene that “the most important thing is that we’ve gotten to all potential victims and make sure they’re taken care of”. He said MS is in the recovery stage Thursday, as authorities determine how much damage was caused and what federal assistance the state may qualify for. An insurance agent told the couple Thursday their home was a total loss.

The unseasonably warm weather that spawned deadly tornadoes on Wednesday killed six people in Tennessee. Two neighbours had died in the storm.

“You kind of stop and realize what Christmas is all about”, Perkins said.