At least 22 people were killed when a possible tornado hit Lee County in southeast Alabama. Early assessments indicated the storm was at “least” an EF3 tornado that was a half-mile wide. National Weather Service crews will be in the area Monday to continue the damage surveys. Damage was also reported in Autauga, Macon, Lee and Barbour counties. The NWS issued a tornado emergency after a large and destructive tornado was reported at 2:15 p.m. near Smith Station in Lee County Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones said the search for missing people continues. Widespread damage and multiple injuries were reported. Search and rescue is still ongoing. The National Weather Service in Birmingham said it is investigating two storm tracks in Lee County, where damage consistent with “at least” an EF-3 tornado were reported. The tornado track there is at least one-half mile wide. Another team will go to Barbour County on Monday and then Autauga County on Tuesday for storm assessments. Multiple homes were damaged in Dupree, a community south of Dothan. Damage, including to the airport and fire station, were reported in Eufaula. The fatalities made Sunday the deadliest day for tornadoes in the U.S. since Jan. 22, 2017, when 16 people were killed in south Georgia. Here’s a look at photos and videos from Sunday’s storm and its aftermath: BREAKING: Preliminary EF-4 Tornado Damage has been found along County Road 39 just east of Cave Mill Road in southwestern Lee County. Winds have been estimated at 170mph. Single family homes were completely destroyed. Photos are from those survey locations. #alwx pic.twitter.com/euYNfSDY11 — NWS Birmingham (@NWSBirmingham) March 4, 2019 Video: every single line tree snapped off just above the ground in the heart of one of the most intense parts of the #tornado path in Lee County, AL. This is Beauregard @breakingweather @accuweather pic.twitter.com/cifgWXez8t — Reed Timmer (@ReedTimmerAccu) March 4, 2019 Families in Smith’s Station say they are the lucky ones. Their homes were destroyed in a tornado yesterday, but they are still alive. @mynbc15 @spann @colincahill13 pic.twitter.com/esXLRzKX4E — Nicole Fierro (@FierroNicole) March 4, 2019 The Lee County tornado crossing US 280 yesterday near Smiths Station. You can see the cell tower collapse at the beginning of the video. From Louis Bridges pic.twitter.com/YIYuZn5XnB — James Spann (@spann) March 4, 2019 Hwy 29 in Macon County South of Tuskegee ⁦@spann⁩ pic.twitter.com/zYvQvJKR91 — w r cannon 2 (@wrcannon2) March 4, 2019 First aerial look of Beauregard, Al after yesterday's intense tornado The aerial scenes from Beauregard are simply horrible. Posted by WXChasing on Monday, March 4, 2019 SHOCKING VIDEO: A puppy was rescued from rubble after a tornado struck Lee County, Alabama on Sunday afternoon. WRBL News reports at least 14 are dead as a result of the tornado. (Source: WRBL News Columbus, GA). pic.twitter.com/LKsaAy3aW5 — WKRG (@WKRG) March 4, 2019 Sunday brought deadly and destructive #tornadoes to the Southeast. In this video, homeowners were clearing debris around a heavily-damaged house about 45 miles north of Mobile, #Alabama. #ALwx pic.twitter.com/2JbrxeZEJZ — WeatherNation (@WeatherNation) March 4, 2019 Daybreak has revealed heartbreaking damage from yesterday's tornado outbreak in Alabama & Georgia. Full video: https://t.co/wAEWE4Znal pic.twitter.com/w02BJkjKlG — WeatherNation (@WeatherNation) March 4, 2019 First aerial look of Beauregard, Al after yesterday's intense tornado The aerial scenes from Beauregard are simply horrible. Posted by WXChasing on Monday, March 4, 2019 This was shot 20 minutes after the tornado hit her home in Lee County. Earnestine Reese is face timing family to let them know she was okay moments after being pulled from the debris. She suffered a broken hip and is at the hospital now with surgery scheduled for this morning. pic.twitter.com/cTJPBml7Gi — James Spann (@spann) March 4, 2019 Video shows destruction in Beauregard, Alabama after tornado leaves at least 14 people dead, according to officials in Lee County. https://t.co/Nh2TAH8mVz pic.twitter.com/6keijqTy3g — ABC News (@ABC) March 4, 2019 Parts of Eufaula, Alabama (Barbour County) are now unrecognizable after a strong tornado hit earlier today. This includes the Northside Fire Station located next to the Municipal Airport... the insulation from that building is now tangled in the snapped trees. #ALwx pic.twitter.com/bwLEjx2zfV — Amanda Curran ☼ (@WSFA_Amanda) March 4, 2019 Tornado damage at Beauregard (Lee County)… photo from Courtney Harris pic.twitter.com/OPMIzRwhM8 — James Spann (@spann) March 4, 2019 Damage at Beauregard in Lee County… video from Courtney Harris. The death toll is up to ten. pic.twitter.com/vBDp2Bg3rQ — James Spann (@spann) March 4, 2019 thankful to have a house to walk into tonight, many of our neighbors are having to find shelter in town. The Opelika first responders and Lee County Sheriff’s Dep, Beauregard Vol Fire etc should all be commended for their incredible work immediately after the storm hit. #tornado pic.twitter.com/egvGUQSwH5 — Scott Fillmer (@scottfillmer) March 4, 2019 NOKR is offering assistance in Alabama & Georgia. Tornadoes have caused at least 14 deaths. We are seeing catastrophic damage from tornado’s. If you have been affected by these storms and / or have a family member missing regs on https://t.co/Ugdoml87K0 now. #tornado #gawx #alwx pic.twitter.com/ieCwCz9FMB — Next of Kin Registry (@NOKR) March 4, 2019<doc-sep>National Weather Service survey teams fanned out across central and south Alabama on Monday to start the process of counting tornadoes from Sunday’s severe weather. Eight tornadoes have now been confirmed statewide as of Monday night: *Two EF1s in Washington County *An EF1 in Butler County *An EF1 in Crenshaw County *An EF2 in Macon County *Two EF2s in Barbour County *An EF4 in Lee County The Lee County storm caused at least 23 deaths, according to officials. Its top winds have been estimated at 170 mph. The EF4 storm tracked through the southern part of the county near Beauregard and Smiths Station and was nearly a mile wide, according to the weather service. It destroyed not only mobile homes but also single-family homes, the weather service said. BREAKING: Preliminary EF-4 Tornado Damage has been found along County Road 39 just east of Cave Mill Road in southwestern Lee County. Winds have been estimated at 170mph. Single family homes were completely destroyed. Photos are from those survey locations. #alwx pic.twitter.com/euYNfSDY11 — NWS Birmingham (@NWSBirmingham) March 4, 2019 That single storm caused more deaths than all of 2018’s tornadoes combined — nationwide — according to the Storm Prediction Center. According to their records 10 people were killed by tornadoes in 2018 across the country. The Lee County tornado is also the single deadliest tornado since the Moore, Okla., tornado on May 20, 2013. That was an EF5 tornado that killed 24 people and injured 212. It was the deadliest tornado in Alabama since the super outbreak of April 2011, according to data from the National Weather Service. More information was trickling in about the other Sunday tornadoes. The Macon County tornado has been upgraded to an EF2, according to the weather service. It tracked through the eastern part of the county, south of Tuskegee, and had top winds of 115 mph. It later crossed into Lee County. There were two tornadoes that hit Barbour County. Both have been given preliminary ratings of EF2. One had with top winds of 115 mph, the weather service said. It tracked along County Road 79, northwest of Eufaula. It was on the ground for 6.68 miles and was 700 yards wide. It touched down about three miles south-southwest of Batesville and lifted near Lugo. The storm snapped and uprooted hundreds of trees and also topped a large wooden double power pole, the weather service said. The weather service said a second tornado hit the county closer to Eufaula and also upgraded that storm from an EF1 to a preliminary EF2 with peak winds of 130 mph. It was on the ground for 4.2 miles and was 600 yards wide. It touched down three miles northwest of the Old Town Creek Rec Area, or four miles north of Eufaula, according to the weather service. This storm did considerable damage. It struck the Weedon Field Complex and damaged a home, several metal structures and several airplanes, the weather service said. Mobile homes were damaged elsewhere as well. The tornado crossed the Chattahoochee River and into Georgia, where it was still producing damage, the weather service said. The National Weather Service in Mobile confirmed four tornadoes on Monday -- all of them EF1s. Damage Survey Team #1 has confirmed two separate EF-1 tornadoes in Washington County Alabama. One south of Chatom, AL and one near Sims Chapel, AL. Click here for the full report: https://t.co/Ay29lwo6SH pic.twitter.com/OnBtkKpXts — NWS Mobile (@NWSMobile) March 4, 2019 The first storm was in Washington County and had top winds of 95 mph, according to a preliminary storm report. It touched down about three miles south of Chatom at 12:55 p.m. Sunday and was on the ground for only 0.17 miles, the weather service said. It was 300 yards wide at its peak. The storm didn’t damage any structures but snapped numerous trees, the weather service said. The second Washington County tornado touched down less than 45 minutes later about eight miles southwest of McIntosh. It was stronger, with top winds estimated at 105 mph. It was on the ground for 2.6 miles and was 100 yards wide at its peak, the weather service said. This tornado damaged a new addition at the Sims Chapel Holiness Church, the weather service said. A few other structures had minor damage, mainly because of downed trees. The weather service added two other tornado confirmations later Monday. One was an EF1 in Butler County with top winds of 90 mph. It touched down at 2:34 p.m. Sunday about six miles northeast of Honoraville and had a path length of 0.27 miles. The storm partially lifted the roof off one home and damaged an outbuilding, the weather service said, as well as snapping and toppling many trees. The other late addition was also an EF1 in Crenshaw County. It had top winds of 90 mph and a path length of 2.66 miles, the weather service said. It touched down at 2:38 p.m. Sunday about 4.5 miles northwest of Honoraville and was on the ground for four minutes. The storm did a lot of tree damage, and one large tree fell on a mobile home, the weather service said. That’s not all the possible tornadoes.The weather service in Birmingham said it is planning to look at damage in Bullock and Autauga counties on Tuesday. The weather service in Tallahassee, Fla., will send teams to southeast Alabama after multiple tornado-warned storms in that region on Sunday. The weather service said updates will be released periodically as more information becomes available.<doc-sep>Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones said this afternoon search and rescue efforts today in the Beauregard community have so far not revealed any more fatalities from Sunday’s tornadoes, with the death toll standing at 23, but Jones said “dozens” of people are still unaccounted for. “The search teams have worked the areas of the most significant damage,” Jones said. "I am pleased to report we have not recovered any further victims from the areas that we have initially searched. But I want to offer a caveat with that, that we have not completed our searches." Jones and other officials gave an update this afternoon at Beauregard High School, which sits in a rural area on a two-lane highway south of Opelika and Auburn, not far from where the most powerful of Sunday’s tornadoes plowed through, snapping trees and shredding homes. Gov. Kay Ivey spoke at the news conference and pledged state and federal support in the recovery effort. Jones said the fatalities are in an area framed by Alabama Highway 51 and Lee County highways 38 and 39. National Weather Service Meteorologist Chris Darden said preliminary analysis indicates the main storm in Lee County was an EF-4 tornado packing winds estimated at 170 mph. Darden said the tornado’s track of was at least 24 miles long. “Almost a mile wide,” Darden said. “A monster tornado as it moved across the area.” A separate tornado that hit Macon County and moved into Lee County was likely an EF-1, Darden said. A storm that hit Eufaula and Barbour County was likely at least an EF-1, he said. Authorities are working with family and friends of the missing to determine how many are still unaccounted for. UAB Hospital in Birmingham confirmed to AL.com Monday that it received seven patients from the tornadoes. Their conditions were not publicly released. Agencies from around Alabama and parts of Georgia are assisting in the search and recovery effort. Lee County Coroner Bill Harris said the process of identifying victims was close to completion but that six victims could not be initially identified from physical characteristics. “We believe we know who those individuals are,” Harris said. "We have talked to the families." Harris said one of the 23 victims died at a hospital. “Once we get into some more areas, I’m not going to be surprised if we don’t come up with some more deceased,” Harris said. “Hopefully we won’t. But it’s been a long, long night.” Harris said he planned to start meeting with families of victims at an undisclosed location this afternoon. Harris said there were at least three children among the victims, ages 6, 9 and 10. Ivey said she got a call from President Trump about 8:15 this morning. Ivey said she told the president the state would like to expedite the process of assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. She said Trump promised to do that. Ivey said the president told her, “You folks in Alabama are wonderful people and surely in your time of need, I will support you.” Ivey said the state was in mourning but that Lee County would bounce back. “To know Alabama is to know that we are a tight-knit community of people and today each of us mourns the loss of life of our fellow Alabamians,” Ivey said. "Our hearts and prayers go out to these people who have lost their family members and friends and all those who are impacted by these storms. "Amidst this tragedy, we have a job to do. We must build back Lee County to its feet. Today, all of Alabama is focused on Lee County. And y’all as your governor, I want to you to know I’ve got your back. We will do everything in our power to help the citizens of Lee County recover and recover and come back stronger. Gov. Kay Ivey and other officials speaking at Beauregard High School about Sunday’s deadly tornadoes. Posted by al.com on Monday, March 4, 2019 First aerial look of Beauregard, Al after yesterday's intense tornado The aerial scenes from Beauregard are simply horrible. Posted by WXChasing on Monday, March 4, 2019 The tornado ravaged a small neighborhood in Smiths Station on Lee County 430, where Greg Molinari and many of his neighbors sorted through the damage on Monday morning. Molinari was upbeat even though his home was destroyed. He said he and his wife, Susan, survived the storm because they took his daughter-in-law’s advice and put large cooking pots over their heads as makeshift helmets. “The sirens were going off quite frequently and we said we better take this very seriously. That was about three o’clock,” Molinari said. “And my wife and I received a text from my daughter in law. She said get in the bathroom and put pots on your head. Well, the bathroom wasn’t a great idea because it’s an exterior wall. But we went in the hallway, which is a small, confined area here. And we did put big cooking pots over our head. Saved our lives. The ceiling crashed in on us.” The tornado ripped the roof off Molinari’s house. “And we were trapped in there,” Molinari said. “We couldn’t get out even though we were OK. Our neighbor across the street here, he came screaming over, ‘Is anybody in there? Is anybody in there?’ We said, ‘Yeah. We can’t get out.’ He dug us out.” Molinari said he and his wife then rode out the storm at the neighbor’s house. “Him and his wife, his daughter and his dog and us, we all hunkered down in there," Molinari said. Molinari said another neighbor he didn’t know helped in their rescue. Molinari said he had reason to be positive despite the disaster. “We have a very strong faith," Molinari said. "We’re Jehovah’s Witnesses. Our God Jehovah takes care of us. We believe he helped to protect us. He’ll also help us recover from all this.” On the same street as Greg Molinari, Taylor Grantham was home with her husband and children on Sunday when the tornado arrived. “There were definitely sirens,” Grantham said. “We had a warning but we didn’t really take it seriously until my husband seen it, right before it hit us. And he slammed the door. “He said, ‘It’s here,’ and he grabbed a mattress and covered us and we just were in the hallway and we stayed under the mattress until it was over.” Grantham said they had holes in the roof and a wall on the back of the house caved in. Overall, she said her house sustained less damage than many in the neighborhood. “We were just praying that our house wasn’t going to get ripped open. And we came out and started checking on all our neighbors and saw that their houses were gone,” Grantham said. She said her husband and several other men from the neighborhood helped lift a fallen roof off a woman. “It took five men to lift the roof up to get her out,” Grantham said. “She was injured but she was OK. She was able to crawl out and walk on her own.” On U.S. 280 in Smiths Station, David McBride stood by the wreckage of his business, the Wild Buck Saloon. What’s left of the bar is in the tornado’s clearly marked path and close to the crumpled remains of a cell phone tower that had to be cleared from the four-lane highway. McBride said he arrived at his bar Sunday afternoon to do a favor for a customer. “I pulled up in here in my truck and I seen all the stuff swirling in the air,” McBride said. “So I took off around that pole and got in front of that store just about the time everything started blowing apart.” McBride thought he was safely ahead of the storm. “Somebody told there was one coming but it was 45 miles from here or 45 minutes,” McBride said. “So I was coming over here to get a friend’s wife’s purse that she left the night before and meeting him over here.<doc-sep>
Images of devastation – and recovery – continue to emerge from Lee County, Alabama and the surrounding area in the wake of Sunday’s devastating tornadoes. Twenty-three people, including three children, were killed in the storms. Scores more were injured and there is widespread devastation to homes and businesses. Relief efforts are underway, with first responders, utility crews and volunteers arriving from across the nation. Those wanting to volunteer are asked to: Unaffiliated Volunteer Registration Process Call 211 to register. Let 211 know what type of volunteer work you can do Lee County will be establishing a Volunteer Reception Center (VRC) on Wednesday, March 4, 2019 in the Smiths Station area. We... https://t.co/9dnG4VY8n1 — Lee County EMA (@LeeCountyEOC) March 5, 2019 Lee County Schools remain closed Tuesday as utility crews work to restore service to the area. The Sunday tornado was the deadliest to hit the U.S. since 2013, when 24 people were killed by an EF-5 tornado in Moore, Oklahoma on May 20, 2013. The NWS in Birmingham said preliminary assessments show the Lee County storm was likely an EF-4 with winds at around 170 mph. The Moore tornado had maximum winds of some 210 mph. Sunday’s deaths are the first tornado-related fatalities in Alabama since November 2016. At least four other tornadoes, ranging from EF-1s to EF-2s, hit Alabama on Sunday as well. The Lee County tornado packed winds of 170 mph and left a path of destruction a mile wide and almost 24 miles long. Here’s a look at the latest photos and videos of the storm damage and recovery: Take a look at pictures from Cajun Navy 2016. The team is helping perform search and rescue in the hardest hit areas in Lee County and shared these pictures with me. #alwx @WAAYTV pic.twitter.com/mLJOpEFUUr — Sydney Martin (@sydneyWAAY31) March 5, 2019 Some scary facts about that monster EF-4 tornado that hit Lee County Sunday leaving at least 23 dead. The National Weather Service says wind speeds were 170 mph, the tornado itself was nearly a mile wide, and it caused a 24 mile path of destruction from Alabama into Georgia. pic.twitter.com/34O6qVcUha — Judd Davis (@BamaJD) March 5, 2019 BREAKING: Death toll now 22 in Lee County, AL tornado, sheriff confirms: https://t.co/Lj4KSUHzfl pic.twitter.com/rHrFhFxnkb — The Weather Channel (@weatherchannel) March 4, 2019 We’re getting a clearer view of the damage left behind by yesterday's tornado outbreak…everything we know: https://t.co/RkWDBHueMG pic.twitter.com/A5gLatd7Yv — Sean Breslin (@Sean_Breslin) March 4, 2019 Damage Survey Team #1 has confirmed two separate EF-1 tornadoes in Washington County Alabama. One south of Chatom, AL and one near Sims Chapel, AL. Click here for the full report: https://t.co/Ay29lwo6SH pic.twitter.com/OnBtkKpXts — NWS Mobile (@NWSMobile) March 4, 2019 Damage Survey Team #2 has confirmed two separate EF-1 tornadoes. One occurring in Butler County Alabama and the second occurring in Crenshaw County Alabama. Click here for the full report: https://t.co/Ay29lwo6SH pic.twitter.com/iRRPcyCUAZ — NWS Mobile (@NWSMobile) March 5, 2019 This GIF of before and after photos from the Lee County (Beauregard, AL) tornado shows this house and trailer left their foundations and ended up in the woods. @ReedTimmerAccu says the occupants survived. https://t.co/ETCh1hOTBI @NWSBirmingham @spann pic.twitter.com/t1SU3D4Fad — AccuWeather (@accuweather) March 4, 2019 Shannon Kelly's neighborhood in Beauregard, Ala., was the killer tornado's bull's eye. It's now unrecognizable. With her son and best friend, she returns to what barely remains of her home. https://t.co/MCwMT310iu pic.twitter.com/6rPI1jB7v5 — CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) March 5, 2019 I'm getting a first look at one of the hardest hit areas in Lee County from yesterday's tornado. @ALNewsNetwork pic.twitter.com/3a7NOT2LLE — DWallaceTV (@DWallaceTV) March 4, 2019 BREAKING: Preliminary EF-4 Tornado Damage has been found along County Road 39 just east of Cave Mill Road in southwestern Lee County. Winds have been estimated at 170mph. Single family homes were completely destroyed. Photos are from those survey locations. #alwx pic.twitter.com/euYNfSDY11 — NWS Birmingham (@NWSBirmingham) March 4, 2019 Flying above destruction in Alabama, drone footage revealed flattened forests, tangled with homes, cars and power lines; insulation from destroyed homes clung eerily to tree after tree https://t.co/MCwMT310iu pic.twitter.com/fIS73zWXyo — CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) March 5, 2019 Drone video shows home is gone, only pool remains, from the Beauregard tornado in Lee County, Alabama Sunday: https://t.co/B96XQMvL6M pic.twitter.com/JDJhW6sYJy — AccuWeather (@accuweather) March 4, 2019 "As soon as the siren went off, it was on us!"