The now-world-famous Guatemala City sinkhole, which opened following a recent tropical storm, is estimated to be 66 feet wide, 100 feet deep, and perfectly cylindrical in shape. It must be seen to be believed. Here are five amazing facts about the sinkhole and, as a bonus at the bottom, three not-so-amazing “facts.”

Might Still Get Bigger Politics Daily's Carl Franzen warns the sinkhole may be “increasing in size and appetite.” He writes, “The phenomenon of rapidly growing sinkholes is well documented, but the Guatemala case stands out precisely because the sinkhole is so enormous and in such an inconvenient location, at a major intersection. The sinkhole's potential growth is also problematic for repair efforts, as no work can be begun safely until the sinkhole has reached an equilibrium and stops…well, sinking, which could take up to several more days.”

Could Be Caused by Sped-Up Geological Erosion Geologists David Bercovici and Mark Brandon tell Vanity Fair, “Sinkholes often appear in areas where the rock below the ground is limestone, carbonate rock, salt beds, or rocks that can be naturally dissolved by circulating ground water. As the sediment dissolves, caves and air pockets develop underneath the land surface. If there is not enough support for the land above the spaces, then the ground collapses and results in a sinkhole. Natural depressions that collect water and man-made structures such as houses and streets with poor drainage are especially vulnerable to sinkholes. Heavy rainfall, like that from Tropical Storm Agatha, only accelerates the process.”

Sewer System May Be to Blame The Christian Science Monitor's Sara Miller Llana reports, “The mayor Guatemala City, Álvaro Arzú, said there may be a relationship between the sinkhole and the city's 36-year old drainage system that runs 50-60 meters below the surface. He said, according to 21st Century, a Guatemala daily newspaper, that the country's disaster response agency, CONRED, is using an X-ray like machine to study the earth in the area of the sinkhole.” Other reports cite “sewer or municipal water lines [that] might have eroded the ground and led to the collapse.”

This Has Happened Before The Christian Science Monitor's Ezra Fieser recounts, “In 2007, three people were killed when a 100-foot deep sinkhole opened in another Guatemala City neighborhood. More than 1,000 people were evacuated from the area.” Carl Franzen adds, “Just last month, a sinkhole opened in Quebec swallowing an entire house and killing the family inside. In the U.S., they are most common in the southern states, particularly Texas, Alabama, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee and Florida, where hundreds of smaller sinkholes have already been reported this year alone.”

How We Can Fix It Politics Daily's Carl Franzen explains three options. (1) Excavate and Filter; (2) Remediate and Cap Grout; (3) Underpin. That last one comes from “Sinkhole attorneys Marshall Thomas Burnett, a firm specializing in filing claims for those whose properties are affected by the appearance of sinkholes.” Click through for descriptions of each process.

3 Not-So-Amazing Sinkhole 'Facts'

You Can Throw Stuff in It Death and Taxes blogger Matt Kiebus helpfully contributes “fun stuff to toss in” the sinkhole. His 12-item list includes such throwables as Miller Lite bottles and BP CEO Tony Hayward.

Sinkhole Has Biblical Precedent BeliefNet's Mark Herringshaw quotes Psalm 46:2: “Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea.” To be fair, Herringshaw also urges prayer for the victims of the sinkhole as well as the tropical storm that caused it.

The Best Car to Jump a Sinkhole Car blog Jalopnik's Matt Hardigree asks, “Assuming you were airlifted in to the country with a vehicle of your choice — what would you take and what would your strategy be for avoiding death?” His answer: “Personally, I'd pick a Caterham R500 to traverse the dangerous streets of Guatemala City. The insane 2.0-liter Ford-powered roadster has classic Caterham agility to avoid sinkholes, 520 hp-per-ton power to speed away from an earth opening beneath your feet, a low 1,115-lb weight to help leap over any obstacles, and an open roof in case you can't do any of those things and need to bail in a hurry.”

via 5 Amazing Facts About the Guatemala City Sinkhole | The Atlantic Wire.

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Gobierno de Guatemala/FlickrThe now-world-famous Guatemala City sinkhole, which opened following a recent tropical storm, is estimated to be 66 feet wide, 100 feet deep, and perfectly cylindrical in shape. It must be seen to be believed. Here are five amazing facts about the sinkhole and, as a bonus at the bottom, three not-so-amazing “facts.”

• Might Still Get Bigger Politics Daily’s Carl Franzen warnsthe sinkhole may be “increasing in size and appetite.” He writes, “The phenomenon of rapidly growing sinkholes is well documented, but the Guatemala case stands out precisely because the sinkhole is so enormous and in such an inconvenient location, at a major intersection. The sinkhole’s potential growth is also problematic for repair efforts, as no work can be begun safely until the sinkhole has reached an equilibrium and stops…well, sinking, which could take up to several more days.”

• Could Be Caused by Sped-Up Geological Erosion Geologists David Bercovici and Mark Brandon tell Vanity Fair, “Sinkholes often appear in areas where the rock below the ground is limestone, carbonate rock, salt beds, or rocks that can be naturally dissolved by circulating ground water. As the sediment dissolves, caves and air pockets develop underneath the land surface. If there is not enough support for the land above the spaces, then the ground collapses and results in a sinkhole. Natural depressions that collect water and man-made structures such as houses and streets with poor drainage are especially vulnerable to sinkholes. Heavy rainfall, like that from Tropical Storm Agatha, only accelerates the process.”

• Sewer System May Be to Blame The Christian Science Monitor’s Sara Miller Llana reports, “The mayor Guatemala City, Álvaro Arzú, said there may be a relationship between the sinkhole and the city’s 36-year old drainage system that runs 50-60 meters below the surface. He said, according to 21st Century, a Guatemala daily newspaper, that the country’s disaster response agency, CONRED, is using an X-ray like machine to study the earth in the area of the sinkhole.” Other reports cite “sewer or municipal water lines [that] might have eroded the ground and led to the collapse.”

• This Has Happened Before The Christian Science Monitor’s Ezra Fieser recounts, “In 2007, three people were killed when a 100-foot deep sinkhole opened in another Guatemala City neighborhood. More than 1,000 people were evacuated from the area.” Carl Franzen adds, “Just last month, asinkhole opened in Quebec swallowing an entire house and killing the family inside. In the U.S., they are most common in the southern states, particularly Texas, Alabama, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee and Florida, where hundreds of smaller sinkholes have already been reported this year alone.”

• How We Can Fix It Politics Daily’s Carl Franzen explains three options. (1) Excavate and Filter; (2) Remediate and Cap Grout; (3) Underpin. That last one comes from “Sinkhole attorneys Marshall Thomas Burnett, a firm specializing in filing claims for those whose properties are affected by the appearance of sinkholes.” Click through for descriptions of each process.

3 Not-So-Amazing Sinkhole ‘Facts’

• You Can Throw Stuff in It Death and Taxes blogger Matt Kiebus helpfully contributes “fun stuff to toss in” the sinkhole. His 12-item list includes such throwables as Miller Lite bottles and BP CEO Tony Hayward.

• Sinkhole Has Biblical Precedent BeliefNet’s Mark Herringshaw quotes Psalm 46:2: “Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea.” To be fair, Herringshaw also urges prayer for the victims of the sinkhole as well as the tropical storm that caused it.

• The Best Car to Jump a Sinkhole Car blog Jalopnik’s Matt Hardigree asks, “Assuming you were airlifted in to the country with a vehicle of your choice — what would you take and what would your strategy be for avoiding death?” His answer: “Personally, I’d pick a Caterham R500 to traverse the dangerous streets of Guatemala City. The insane 2.0-liter Ford-powered roadster has classic Caterham agility to avoid sinkholes, 520 hp-per-ton power to speed away from an earth opening beneath your feet, a low 1,115-lb weight to help leap over any obstacles, and an open roof in case you can’t do any of those things and need to bail in a hurry.”

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Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water.

On Sunday morning, Doug McCard, a 35-year-old sales associate for A-1 Septic in Kissimmee, Florida was attacked by an alligator just as he was beginning a swim training session for a planned Half Ironman in June. He is now looking to compete in a duathlon, where no swimming is involved.

“It was a real hard hit and I felt the teeth,” McCard told a news conference at Orlando Regional Medical Center about the incident in Lake Mary Jane in Moss Park. “I started thinking to myself ‘…I can’t believe a gator is biting me.”

“I was shocked,” he said to the news conference. “[Before starting swimming] I always stand and take a look to see if the gators are there. There are gators in every lake, but I saw nothing [Sunday] so I swam like I always do.

“It hit me like a Mack truck.”

As he recalled in the news conference, McCard stood up in the shallow brackish waters and started to swing with his elbows, not unlike an NBA tough guy trying to clear out a rebound. “I got in a pretty good elbow to the head and he released me,” he said of the gator he estimated to be between 8 and 10 feet in length. “I started yelling to try to scare him and backed off until I could run out of the water.”

Witnesses said they heard McCard screaming and yelling and running out of the water bleeding from the chest.

The gator landed five puncture wounds to McCard’s right shoulder, one to his hip, and a few more to his back. Doctors kept him overnight in case of infection.

McCard, described as an “alligator aware” Florida native who had been swimming in Florida lakes “thousands of times,” said thinks he startled the alligator and it reacted by chomping him.

“If it was after me, it would have probably taken me under and rolled because that is what Gators do,” he told the Orlando Sentinel.

McCard said he hopes to begin training again soon, but will likely avoid Lake Mary Jane.

A Wikipedia entry notes that at least 20 persons have been killed by alligators in Florida in the last quarter century. That number far exceeds the number of persons killed by sharks throughout the United States.

A man hired by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission set traps trying to catch the alligator, but so far has not caught the reptile.

Prior to this attack, sharks have been the primary predators threatening triathletes training in open water. In April 2008, a great white shark killed retired veterinarian Dave Martin who was taking an early morning swim in Solana Beach, California with fellow members of the San Diego Triathlon Club.

In June of 2000, 44-year-old triathlete Chuck Anderson was taking an early morning training swim in Gulf Shores, Alabama when a bull shark grabbed his arm and dragged him down to the bottom in about eight feet of water and tore off his arm.

In a related incident in 2001 in Pensacola, Florida, triathlete Vance Flosenzier of Mentone Alabama, who finished 40 seconds ahead of Chuck Anderson in Anderson’s return to triathlon after the 2000 shark attack, wrestled off a shark attacking an 8-year-old Jessie Arbogast and saved the boy’s life.

Most Florida triathletes are aware that alligators lurk in nearly every inland lake pond and river. But many, like McCard and age group star Joe Bonness of Naples Florida, continue to fearlessly utilize Florida’s lakes, ponds and streams for open water swimming. Bonness, in fact, has achieved triathlon’s equivalent of John Wayne status among foreign rivals for his tales of choosing to swimming in alligator-inhabited waters near his Gulf Coast home in Naples.

Now, McCard and some fellow residents of Kissimmee – not far from the artificial thrills of Disney World – say they won’t surrender the pleasures of lake swimming to the occasional objections of the natural residents of Florida’s inland waters.

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Logger bitten by snake

By Lisa Tindell

news editor

Published:

Wednesday, October 21, 2009 9:22 AM CDT

One rattlesnake bite can lead to a serious situation, but a Brewton area man is living through the ordeal of having been bitten eight times.

Johnny Lavon Odom’s family is thankful for his life. Odom’s wife, Nancy, said he has spent more than three weeks in intensive care as a result of the incident, which took place in the Little River community in western Escambia County.

“He has been in ICU for 24 days,” Nancy said. “The doctors are saying we are just taking it a day at a time right now.”

Nancy said Odom is now able to sit up for a period of time but will remain in ICU until a ventilator is no longer needed.

“He is still on the ventilator some,” Nancy said. “The doctors are trying to build up his lungs so they take him off the ventilator for a little at a time. He will have to be off the ventilator before they can move him to a room on the floor.”

Nancy said the medical bills are continuing to mount with no planned release from the hospital in the near future.

“I’m not sure what the bill is right now,” Nancy said. “A couple of weeks ago one of the hospital staff members told me it was already near six figures.”

The log truck driver does not have any medical insurance, Nancy said.

“I don’t know exactly what we will do about that,” Nancy said. “We’ll just have to see what we can do.”

A rattlesnake bite can be debilitating or even deadly. Jackie Word, director of Turtle Point Science Center in Flomaton, said the age of the snake could have a great bearing on the amount of venom injected into a victim.

“Younger snakes have less control on the amount of venom they inject into their victim,” Word said. “They are more reckless and careless with their venom. Older snakes, on the other hand, have more control over their venom.”

Although Odom was reportedly bitten eight times, Word said chances are that venom wasn’t injected on every bite.

“Typically, it’s my belief that a snake’s venom supply is exhausted after two or possibly three bites,” Word said. “Of course, in a defense situation, typically snakes inject venom in smaller doses in repeated strikes.”

Nancy said she is not sure just what happened to her husband in the woods of the Little River community — and he does not remember.

“I’m not clear on exactly what happened out there,” Nancy said. “He’s very lucky though. He seems to be getting better. Right now, he’s just a little bored sitting in ICU.”

Physical therapists are working with Odom on a regular basis, Nancy said. His physicians have not determined a possible date for discharge, she said.

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Bear sighting no surprise to wildlife biologist

By Lisa Rogers
Times Staff Writer

Published: Friday, May 15, 2009 at 8:44 p.m. 
Last Modified: Friday, May 15, 2009 at 9:03 p.m.

A wildlife expert said he believes black bears are in Northeast Alabama to stay.
There were about 50 calls of sightings of black bears in Northeast Alabama last year, said Tracy Nelson, wildlife biologist with the Alabama Department of Conversation and Natural Resources.
That is up significantly from about four years ago when Nelson first started keeping track of bear activity.
An Attalla street department employee saw a black bear early Thursday in a neighborhood near First Street and watched the bear come from between two houses and cross Preston Avenue, go through a couple of grassy alleys and run into some nearby woods.
A Gadsden family spotted bear tracks behind their home Friday evening.
Rhonda Simmons said there were three pairs of tracks on her property between Charles Street and Perry Street.
“I just can’t believe it,” she said. “It just blows my mind. I don’t think it’s the same one they spotted in Attalla. I don’t see it traveling that far. It makes me wonder if (there are) more in this area.”
Nelson, a conservation enforcement officer and wildlife biologist, said he first started to keep track of reports after a female bear den was discovered in Cherokee County.
The bear had three cubs, he said.
He said those cubs, now adult bears, have probably populated.
“They have a really big home range,” he said. “They can travel several square miles in a given time. Those cubs have dispersed and established their own ranges.”
He said the bear seen in Attalla could be one of those.
There was a report from the Gadsden area last year and there have been several reports from the Tabor Road area, Nelson said.
When Nelson first started tracking the bear sightings, he believes most of the bears were transient – moving through the area from Georgia and Tennessee.
Most of those sightings were in spring.
“But the nature of the calls have changed,” he said.
“People are encountering them in spring and summer and that would lead me to believe they’re here to stay,” he said. “A few are finding new territories to make a new home.”
Nelson said it is important for people to understand that bears rarely come in contact with people and rarely are seen in populated areas.
The black bears of this area are mainly vegetarians and do not exceed 200 pounds, he said.
“They eat nuts, leaves and scratch around for grubs,” he said. “It’s not like an aggressive predator that is going to eat flesh.”
Bears don’t generally go to populated areas, but when they do, it is usually after food, Nelson said.
“They’re going to get away from people as a general rule,” he said. “If you leave dog food or scraps, that might be why a bear is hanging around.”
Nelson said increased bear sightings in Georgia and other nearby states indicate that more bears could be making their way into Alabama.
Development most likely has driven the bears from their habitats.
They tend to follow river systems and streams, Nelson said.
Georgia has established a legal bear season in Floyd and Chattooga counties to keep the bear populations in check.
Last year more than 300 were legally harvested, Nelson said.
He said the number grew in North Carolina to more than 1,800 legally-harvested bear last year.
Bears still are protected in Alabama and not considered a game animal, Nelson said.
“We’re not anywhere close to where we’re going to have a nuisance,” he said. “A few are finding new territories to make a new home. Some people get a little nervous, but they’re no more of a threat than having a deer in the area.”
People should use common sense by keeping garbage in an enclosed can.
“Just be aware of what attracts bears,” Nelson said. “If you see one, give it plenty of space. You don’t have to grab a gun to defend your life.”
The black bears in this region are not the brown bears of the west and are not likely to attack, Nelson said.
“It’s not impossible, but it’s very unlikely that they’re going to attack someone,” he said.

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Fort Morgan drowning victim identified

Posted by Craig Myers, Staff Reporter May 09, 2009 2:05 PM

Categories: Breaking News

Baldwin County’s coroner has identified the woman who drowned Friday night on Fort Morgan after apparently getting caught in strong currents. 

Coroner Jim Small said today Margaret Goff, 75, was wading or swimming in the Gulf of Mexico near her home about 7 p.m. Friday when she got caught in an undertow or riptide. 

Some bystanders attempted to help her, Small said. Her body was recovered about 8 p.m. on the beach near the 8-mile marker point on the peninsula, authorities said. 

Red flags are flying today at the Gulf Shores Public Beach area due to rough surf and strong currents.

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Storms hit Ala. for 2nd day; tornado traps family

By BOB JOHNSON – 9 hours ago

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A day after heavy wind, rain and hail damaged homes across the South, torrential rains and possible tornadoes hit central Alabama on Thursday, flooding roads and briefly trapping a family when a tree fell on their mobile home.

No one was hurt, but authorities were forced to close a main road between Montgomery and nearby Wetumpka that was covered by floodwaters. Other roads were deep in water as heavy rains and thunderstorms pounded the area. Street flooding was so bad at one point at the Statehouse that legislators halted work to check on their cars, some submerged in window-high water.

“It is unusual to see cars floating in the parking lot. But it’s just a car. Thankfully no one was hurt,” said state Sen. Harri Anne Smith, R-Slocomb, whose new Hyundai Genesis was flooded.

Derek Hamilton, chief sergeant of arms at the Statehouse, said four feet of water was standing in the statehouse basement. Power was turned off as a precaution.

The legislators were preparing to reconvene across the street at the historic old Capitol, which sits on a hill and was unaffected. It will be the first time lawmakers have met there since 1986, when the House and Senate moved into the new statehouse.

Tuskegee police said a family had to be rescued after a tree fell into their mobile home about 7 a.m. CDT.

The National Weather Service said hazardous weather could threaten central and southern Alabama counties through the day as the storms pushed into southern Georgia.

Weather officials also confirmed that a Wednesday tornado caused damage across two counties in north Alabama. Michael Coyne of the weather service office in Huntsville said the tornado left a path of destruction nearly 11 miles long that was up to 75 yards wide in places.

More than 100 homes and businesses were damaged in the South on Wednesday by strong winds, heavy rains and golf ball-sized hail. Strong winds damaged homes in Arkansas and North Carolina, and debris blocked roads and damaged houses in north Mississippi. No serious injuries were reported.

Officials also increased the flow of water through dams to ease swollen rivers, including the Mississippi.

Associated Press writers Jay Reeves in Birmingham, Phillip Rawls in Montgomery and Garry Mitchell in Mobile contributed to this report.

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Large sinkhole develops in an Elba housing subdivision
Posted: 5:06 PM May 6, 2009 Last Updated: 5:08 PM May 6, 2009
Recent heavy rains may be responsible for the appearance of a sinkhole in the western Wiregrass. Crews are working to fill in the dirt on Pine Circle. It’s located in the Brookdale subdivision of Elba. The contractor will replace the manhole. It’s hoped that this will solve the problem. With Coffee County covered under the FEMA disaster declaration, local officials hope the federal dollars will reimburse them for the repairs which will run into the tens of thousands of dollars. Homeowners say it’s an inconvenience, but at least no one has been hurt. It’s hoped that the work on filling in the Elba sinkhole will be completed within the week.

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Heavy rainfall causes creek flooding in Tenn. county, tornado watches issued for northern Ala.

By Associated Press

6:15 PM CDT, May 2, 2009

AETNA, Tenn. (AP) — Authorities say a dozen residents in a central Tennessee county have been evacuated from their homes because of flooding caused by heavy rain while tornado watches and warnings have been issued for northern Alabama.

Janet Kelley of the Hickman County Emergency Management Agency in Tennessee says flat-bottomed rescue boats were used Saturday morning to retrieve residents in Aetna, located about 80 miles southwest of Nashville.

Kelley says the flooding later receded and many of the residents were able to return to their homes. She says some county bridges remained closed because of the weather on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the National Weather Service has issued a tornado warning for Fayette and Lamar counties in western Alabama.

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So sad and tragic. When they called off the search, I feared this would be the ending.

Missing high school student’s body found

By jim welsh

HANCOCK COUNTY – The body of a 17-year-old Hancock County High School student who apparently drowned was found in a beach area of Northwest Florida on Monday, authorities said.Sgt. Scott Haines, of the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Department, said the body of John D. Stephens of Bayside Park was located four miles west of Navarre Beach in the National Seashore area.

“His body was located and identified this afternoon,” Haines said Monday.

Stephens had disappeared in the surf Saturday, touching off an extensive search involving the Coast Guard and other agencies. He was a junior at Hancock High School.

The news fell heavily on Hancock County on Monday evening.

“This is such a tragedy,” said Alan Dedeaux, superintendent of the county schools. He had known Stephens most of the young man’s life.

Dedeaux said school officials would offer counseling to students if required.

“If the kids need somebody to talk to, our staff will set that up,” he said.

Stephens was swept into heavy surf Saturday evening, a victim of rough waters that caused officials to rescue about 30 people off Florida Panhandle beaches over the weekend.

The day before his body was located, the Coast Guard had dropped a search for Stephens that included a rescue helicopter, two small craft, and an 87-foot cutter. Petty Officer Tom Atkeson, of the Coast Guard’s 8th District headquarters in New Orleans, said Monday that his agency suspended its search for Stephens at 3 p.m. Sunday.

Santa Rosa County had discontinued its search as well by Monday, according to Haines. Because Stephens’ body was found in a National Seashore area, details will be handled by National Park Service Police, he said.

A family friend said Stephens’ mother, Jennifer Leitz, and other family members remained in the Pensacola area Monday to keep up with developments in the case.

Stephens was reported missing Saturday in the area of the Navarre Beach Pier after going to the beach with a relative. Navarre Beach is in Santa Rosa County, located just east of Escambia County and Pensacola Beach. The Coast Guard launched its search after receiving an alert around 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Atkeson said.

The search included air and surface units and the Coast Guard Cutter Cobia, an 87-foot cutter that was diverted from other duties to the scene.

Stephens’ disappearance was the latest tragedy to befall members of his family, said Tammy Hoyt, the boy’s godmother and a close friend of his family. She said Stephens’ father, John M. Stephens, died in December and there were other recent illnesses and deaths in the family.

“It’s been one thing after another this family has gone through,” Hoyt said.

Hoyt described Stephens as “a typical teenager” who liked video games and music and played guitar. When younger, he was a Boy Scout in a Waveland troop, she said. Stephens had three sisters.

Rhett Ladner, principal at Hancock High, told the Sun Herald on Sunday that he and a school counselor had been working with Stephens to help him cope with the death of his father.

Officials reported that rip tides and rough surf caused a tragic weekend at Northwest Florida beaches. On Saturday, at least 25 people were rescued from the turbulent Gulf of Mexico by lifeguards. At least another five were rescued Sunday. There was one other confirmed water-related death. An Alabama man was caught in a riptide and drowned at Perdido Key.

On Monday, Hoyt said she was seeking ways to get financial help for Stephens’ family upon their return to Hancock County.

“The family will be in need of assistance when they return, as far as having to take off work to do all that they are doing,” she said. “The only thing I can do now is help them when they get back.”

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Pretty fascinating.

 

VorTek LLC, a small research and engineering company in Huntsville, Alabama, developed software that assessed tornado threats from analyzed National Weather Service data from 1950 through 2007.

 A map of the most tornado-prone spots for 26 states of interest was developed using the Site Assessment of Tornado Threat (SATT) software, 

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Earthquake felt in Chilton County

By Mike Kelley (Contact) | Clanton Advertiser

Published Tuesday, April 21, 2009

An earthquake that occurred north of Centreville early Tuesday morning had many Chilton County residents calling the United States Geological Survey to report they believed they experienced an earthquake.

By mid-morning Tuesday, 21 county residents had reported they felt what they thought was an earthquake.

The USGS released a statement Tuesday that a 3.8-magnitude earthquake had occurred approximately four miles north of Centreville in Bibb County at 5:25 a.m.

The earthquake occurred, according to the USGS, 3.1 miles below the earth’s surface.

There have been no reports of injuries, deaths or damage caused by the earthquake.

Though the epicenter was approximately 56 miles from Clanton, residents heard and felt the earthquake. Others as far away as Alexander City reported they felt the earthquake.

Tuesday’s earthquake was the second to be reported this year in Bibb County. On February 18, an earthquake that measured 2.2 occurred approximately 10 miles south of Centreville.

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The National Weather Service now has an interactive Google map display of the Sunday night Alabama tornadoes available. Check out this link:

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=110057528693910501597.000468128cf062f522312&ll=33.063924,-86.671143&spn=3.337261,4.921875&z=8

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Tornado warning issued for northern Shelby County

Posted by Anne Ruisi — The Birmingham News April 19, 2009 6:31 PM

The National Weather Service in Birmingham has issued a tornado warning until 7 p.m. for northern Shelby County, including the cities of Pelham, Chelsea and Alabaster.

  NWS Doppler radar indicated a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado near Alabama, moving northeast at 35 miles per hour. 

The tornado will be near Oak Mountain State Park by 6:30 p.m.; Chelsea by 6:35 p.m.; Highland Lakes, Mount Laruel and Fowler Lake by 6:40 p.m.; Westover by 6:45 p.m.; Vincent, Vandiver and 6 miles northwest of Harpersville by 6:55 p.m. 

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Swimmers have been keeping the lifeguards very busy.

Report: Water related incidents above average

On April 14, Gulf Shores lifeguards reported 26 drowning calls in one month

Graphic courtesy of the city of Orange Beach

GULF SHORES, Ala. — While only two months of vacationers have visited the Gulf Coast, a high number of water-related incidents have already been reported.

On April 14, Gulf Shores lifeguards had recorded 26 drowning calls in one month, and senior lifeguard Scott Smothers said that’s above average.

He also said since the season opened on March 13 there have been three days with yellow flags flying, the rest being red flag days.

“It’s because of the storms we’ve had,” Smothers said of the red flags. “Any time you get a low pressure system you’re going to have rip currents and high surf.”

Last year Gulf Shores had 172 drowning rescues. Drowning is easily avoidable and following the warning signs can eliminate the danger posed by the water.

The flag system put in place by the city allows beachgoers to be aware of the water conditions. Obeying the system ensures a safe trip.

A green flag represents low hazard and declares conditions are calm. A yellow flag expresses medium hazard and is used when the Gulf has moderate surf and currents. A red flag warns of high surf and strong currents. Two red flags declares the water is closed to the public. When dangerous marine life like sharks or jellyfish are present, a purple flag will fly. Other dangerous marine life include barracudas, red tide and marine lice. 

By city ordinance in Gulf Shores, it is illegal to enter the water when one or two red flags are flying.

A representative at the Gulf Shores Police Department did say usually they issue a warning to a swimmer on a red flag day, but failure to cooperate will lead to an arrest.

Orange Beach also fly flags to inform swimmers of water conditions. The city does not employ a lifeguard force, rather, the police and fire departments and the marine police are dispatched for a drowning. The Gulf Shores lifeguards will also lend a hand to Orange Beach and the Orange Beach Marine Police assist the lifeguards in Gulf Shores.

Orange Beach aquatics coordinator Melvin Shepard described the help as mutual aid. He also said Orange Beach has seen a lot of swimming distress calls recently.

Smothers said every rescue that’s been made in Gulf Shores has been a vacationer and said they have been for multiple victims.

“You’ll have one person in trouble and then two others go try to help them,” he said.

Smothers said the best thing to do if you witness a drowning is alert a lifeguard. If a lifeguard isn’t nearby carry a flotation device to the victim. Most rescues occur in the afternoon during low tide when there is a tidal range of two feet. Another large contributor is rip currents, which are caused when the tide funnels in water and it finds a weak spot in a sandbar to break through.

“All the water that comes in has to find a place to go out,” Smothers said. “It will gather, break the sandbar and rush back out to sea.”

To avoid rip currents, look for an area at the shoreline that is murky — where the sand has been disturbed. If caught in a rip current, allow it to carry you out, swim parallel to the beach and then swim back to shore.

A few other rules to follow include swimming with a partner and never swim while under the influence of alcohol.

To check the surf conditions and flying flag for Gulf Shores call 251-968-TIDE. The Orange Beach information line for weather and surf conditions and the flying flag is 251-981-SURF. Information about the flag system and beach safety tips can be found at the Alabama Gulf Coast Convention and Visitors Bureau.

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Florida wins, hands down.

# 1	Florida:	337
# 2	Texas:	15
= 3	Georgia:	9
= 3	South Carolina:	9
# 5	Alabama:	5
# 6	Louisiana:	2
= 7	Arkansas:	1
= 7	North Carolina:	1

DEFINITION: Number of documented alligator attacks since 1948. There have been 17 fatal attacks in Florida and one fatal attack in Georgia. Additional deaths which were previously reported have been ruled out because the wounds appeared to be post-mortem. The most common cases were lacerations or scratches on the hands, whereas the most common activity attributed to the attack was an attempt to capture, pick up or exhibit the alligator. Other common activities that led to an alligator attack were swimming, fishing activities and retrieving golf balls.

SOURCE: Alligator Attacks on Humans in the United States, Ricky L. Langley, MD, MPH. Wilderness and Environmental Medicine, 16, 119 124 (2005). Additional figures taken from news reports.

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Tornadoes spotted in Fla. as storm line roars over

By CHRISTINE ARMARIO – 6 hours ago

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — A strong line of storms spawned at least two tornadoes Tuesday as it tore across central Florida, scattering roof shingles, uprooting trees and forcing schools to evacuate children from trailer classrooms.

No injuries were immediately reported and the storms eventually moved offshore. It was the latest round of bad weather to hammer the South after heavy rain and strong winds Monday that hit Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, Kentucky and northern Florida, already reeling from storms and tornados last week.

The National Weather Service was still tallying damage information, but initial reports were that two tornadoes had touched down north of Tampa and two others may have struck in central and east Florida.

Twenty Florida counties were under a tornado watch for much of the day.

“To our knowledge, there’s been no true structure damage and no injuries,” said Jim Martin, Emergency Management Director for Pasco County north of Tampa, where at least one twister was spotted Tuesday morning,

Martin said about 25 homes suffered damage from high winds and one car was flipped over. Students were evacuated from trailer classrooms at some Tampa-area schools.

Emergency management officials in Marion County in north-central Florida received reports of possible tornado sightings, downed power lines and other damage, including one home under a fallen tree. No injuries were reported, a sheriff’s spokeswoman said.

Randi Cecil, 24, was on her porch in the town of Sparr, about 90 miles north of Orlando, when the wind turned gusty and trees started swaying. Then a tree cracked so loud that it sounded like a car crash and smashed into her neighbor’s bedroom.

“It was the most horrible feeling I ever went through,” Cecil said.

Progress Energy spokeswoman Suzanne Grant said 35,000 customers were without power as of noon, mostly in the Ocala area in central Florida and in southern Pasco County, just north of Tampa. The Tampa Electric Company said about 770 customers had lost power.

The storms also passed through the Orlando area, knocking down trees and blowing shingles off roofs, but no significant damage was immediately reported. Orlando International Airport reported delays of up to one hour.

A day after high winds were blamed for toppling trees that killed one person each in Tennessee and Georgia, more blustery conditions were reported across the region.

Atlanta-area crews were still clearing up fallen trees and working to restore power and traffic lights after squalls Monday pushed through Georgia. Thousands of utility customers in Georgia and Alabama were waiting for power to come back on.

Associated Press writers Mike Schneider in Orlando, Mitch Stacy in Tampa and Amanda Thomas in Montgomery, Ala., contributed to this report.

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Largest project to study tornadoes to start in May

In what’s described as “the largest attempt in history to study tornadoes,” more than 50 scientists are preparing to hit the road next month to explore the origin, structure and evolution of the killer storms, the National Science Foundation says.

From May 10 to June 13, scientists will focus on the central Great Plains — southern South Dakota, western Iowa, eastern Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, the Texas panhandle and western Oklahoma.

The project, called VORTEX2 — Verification of the Origins of Rotation in Tornadoes Experiment — involves 40 research vehicles, including 10 mobile radars.

This year’s tornado season has been punishing. Today, severe weather swept across much of the South, killing at least two people, toppling trees and cutting power to tens of thousands of homes. More than 92,400 customers still did not have power this afternoon after a strong thunderstorm blew across Alabama, spawning an apparent tornado and wrecking a yacht marina near the Mississippi line. Most of the Florida Panhandle and areas east and southeast of Tallahassee have been under tornado watches or warnings most of the day.

A twister Friday killed a woman and her infant daughter and damaged 500 buildings in Tennessee.

Late Thursday a tornado killed three people in Arkansas.

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Eyewitness accounts of the disaster. Scary stuff.

Tornado survivor: ‘Sounded like 7 freight trains’

By JUANITA COUSINS – 14 minutes ago

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP) — The worst sound Eric Funkhouser said he has ever heard was a 10-second “voom” followed by a man’s screams.

A tornado hit Funkhouser’s home in Murfreesboro, about 30 miles southeast of Nashville, on Friday, part of severe storms that spawned tornadoes across the Southeast that’s been blamed for three deaths and dozens of injuries.

“It sounded like seven freight trains and 22 vacuum cleaners all going at the same time,” Funkhouser said Saturday as he returned to what is left of his home and neighborhood.

Funkhouser ran outside and found his neighbor John Bryant laying in Funkhouser’s front yard, covered with blood and screaming.

“He kept saying that his wife and baby were out there with him and he had to find them,” Funkhouser said.

Twenty minutes later, Funkhouser and other survivors found Bryant’s wife, Kori, dead in the gravel driveway under debris and 9-week-old Olivia Bryant was found dead buckled into her car seat, beneath carpet and a tree.

Family friend Laura Lawrence said Bryant, a self-employed construction worker, had just gotten home on his lunch break. He, his wife and daughter were seeking shelter when the tornado rolled through.

National Weather Service officials say a preliminary report shows the EF3 tornado tore a 15-mile path through the university town of about 100,000 with winds as high as 165 mph. Hundreds of homes were destroyed or damaged and more than 40 people were injured.

John Bryant is in critical condition with a broken back, Lawrence said Saturday, as she gathered the family’s clothes and pictures from their neighbors’ yards.

During a tour of the damaged areas on Saturday, Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen walked past a pile of pink baby clothes topped with the Bryants’ wedding album, paused before yellow and gray tarps marking where the mother and daughter were found and bowed his head.

“My thoughts and prayers are with them. It’s very sad,” Bredesen said.

He then walked through the neighborhood that was hardest hit, listening to survivors share stories of how they hid in bathrooms and pantries.

“I am astonished,” Bredesen said. “Where it hit is very very intense.”

Bredesen said he may request a presidential declaration of emergency after Tennessee Emergency Management Agency officials completely survey the area.

“I want to get all the assistance we possibly can for people,” Bredesen said. “For right now, the community is doing a great job.”

Church members and neighbors joined survivors in cleaning up debris, patching up roofs with blue tarps and sawing tree branches from cars and houses.

Murfreesboro Mayor Tommy Bragg said water is running on generator power but power and gas remain off in the areas worst hit. Code inspectors were going door to door to determine the amount of damage done and whether the homes are destroyed.

They condemned the Funkhousers’ home with a sticker that read “Unsafe. Do not enter or occupy.”

The Bryant’s home, the only wood house on the block, was destroyed and most of the siding was in Funkhouser’s yard.

Churches and utility companies passed out hot dogs, hamburgers, ham sandwiches, chips and water to families and volunteers.

“This is something we have to do because you can’t just look over this damage,” church volunteer Lacie Young said. “We were so blessed and have to share these blessings.”

Rescue teams concluded a 5-hour search Friday night for survivors who may have been trapped in the rubble, but no more victims were found, said Donnie Smith, a spokesman for the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency.

Reports of destruction were widespread across the region Friday, with funnel clouds spotted in Kentucky and Alabama and devastating winds, huge hail and heavy rain reported in several states.

In South Carolina, a driver trying to avoid storm debris in the eastern part of the state was killed Friday, state Emergency Management Division spokesman Derrec Becker said.

Several possible tornadoes were reported in north Georgia as heavy rain, hail and winds downed trees and power lines.

On Thursday night, a black funnel cloud packing winds of at least 136 mph descended on the western Arkansas hamlet of Mena, killing at least three, injuring 30 and destroying or damaging 600 homes.

There, emergency officials are trying to collect ice chests and tarps to prepare for another round of storms projected to hit the area Sunday. Crews have already used 1,000 tarps to cover damaged roofs, and workers are struggling to keep perishables refrigerated because power is still out in Mena.

Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

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Click on the link for dramatic photos of the aftermath.

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Tornado touches down in Jackson County

By Ken Bonner
The Daily Sentinel

Published April 10, 2009

It was a tornado.

That word came through loud and clear from rural parts of Jackson, Marshall and DeKalb County late Friday after a strong storm system moved through the area at mid-afternoon even thoght there had been no confirmation from the National Weather Service. Tornado warnings were in effect and warning sirens had gone off all across the area prior to the storm’s arrival.

In Section at least two people were transported by ambulance to Highlands Medical Center in Scottsboro with what were described as non-life threatening injuries.

The Good Friday storm first struck in the Preston Island Community in northern Marshall County. It made its way across the Tennessee River before striking in the Langston area of southeastern Jackson County. From there the storm hop-scotched across Sand Mountain striking near Macedonia, in areas outlying Section before making its way through Powell in DeKalb County just east of Northeast Alabama Community College.

Ernest Fernandez, 19, and Ivan Garcia, 13, whose home on County Road 430 in Jackson County was totally destroyed, were transported for medical treatment by Highlands Medical Center Ambulance.

“The wind blew too hard,” Thomas Fernadez,Jr. said. “We were about to leave when we heard it coming so we jumped on the couch and then everything was blown away.”

The Fernandez family’s mobile home was gone. Debris was scattered for hundreds of yards and a car that had been parked near the residence had been picked up and set back down approximately 30 feet away with no apparent damage, according to Fernandez. 

From there the tornado severely damaged a two-story wood frame home nearby. No one was at home when the storm hit but two horses still roamed about, seemingly unfazed, in an adjacent pasture less than an hour afterwards.

At least six people were in the home when the storm struck. Fernandez and his young sister, Anna, received minor injuries. Fernandez shoulder was hurt by flying debris and Anna had a cut on her hand.

“It blew everything away, Thomas Fernandez, Sr., said. “We’ve lost everything. What you see is what we’ve got.”

“It scared me,” Anna Fernandez, who sat quietly in the front seat of a nearby van, said. “It was loud.”

Kenneth Cisco and his family, who live on County Road 38, a mile or so from the Fernandez, were lucky too. Most of the roof was blown off the family’s single-story ranch style home and the majority of the windows were blown out. 

The family huddled in a closet during the storm. Their cattle and three dogs tied up outside were unharmed.

“It scared the heck out of me,” Melody Ellis said. “It didn’t last long. Boom – and it was over. We felt the whole house move.”

Ellis said the storm hit at 3:45 p.m.

Wilson and Loretta Thomas were in their home just down the road when the storm hit. Their two-story brick home withstood the storm well with moderate roof damage and broken windows. A barn style shed behind the home that contained an office and a small living area was totally destroyed.

“I was cleaning the stove,” Loretta Wilson said. “I thought boy it’s windy. And it was hailing big.”

“Wilson said. ‘it’s a tornado’,” Loretta said. “So we already knew where we were going and got in a triple-walled stairwell going into the garage. It’s covered from above with another stairwell and is the safest place in the home.

“We could hear the scream. It hailed and knocked windows out, but we’re alive,” Loretta said.

“We’re safe,” Wilson said as friends and neighbors drove up to help clean up downed trees and scattered debris at the home.

In Scottsboro eight power poles along Alabama Highway 35 were downed as the storm, packing strong straight line winds, made its way through the city. Three of the poles fell on vehicles traveling the roadway but there were no reported injuries to any of the four people trapped inside.

The roadway was blocked for some time while emergency personnel set up barrel barriers to allow traffic to move in both directions.

It took power company and emergency personnel about 30 minutes to get the people safely out of their vehicles. Work crews remained on the scene into the early evening hours resetting poles and restoring power to the area.

South of Scottsboro, Preston Island was devastated, according to early reports from the scene. Alabama Highway 79 from Scottsboro to Guntersville was blocked in the area of Waterfront Grocery in Marshall County due to downed trees, which made it difficult for emergency personnel to reach the scene.

Reports indicated at least 20 homes were totally destroyed and many more severely damaged by the storm. There were no immediate reports of injuries on the island that is home to permanent residents as well as weekend and summer homes. But some people were unaccounted for and work crews were trying to clear roadways into the community as night fell.

Across the river at Langston major damage was reported at campgrounds in the area. One report indicated that at least 20 recreational vehicles had been tossed into the water at a resort area. Many more were damaged by falling trees and flying debris. There were no immediate reports of injuries. 

The storm was part of a large system that struck the southeast Friday. Tornadoes were reported in Mississippi,Tennessee and Kentucky as well as other parts of Alabama. Storms were also threatening Georgia into the early evening hours.

Early reports indicated at least two people were killed and 30 injured when a tornado hit downtown Murfreesboro, Tennessee, 25 miles southeast of Nashville, at about midday. The city, Tennessee’s fastest growing, is home to Middle Tennessee State University.

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Witnesses report tornado in east Montgomery
Posted: April 10, 2009 07:27 PM

MONTGOMERY, AL (WSFA) – Numerous viewers are calling into the WSFA 12 Newsroom to say they’ve seen a tornado touchdown in east Montgomery.

The EMA has not confirmed a tornado at this time but WSFA 12 News is in contact with many officials across the area and are working to confirm reports.

Montgomery County Commissioner Reed Ingram tells us that Ray Thorington Road has been temporarily closed because of a tree in the road. Ingram says a roof has been damaged on that street. He also confirms roof damage to a home on East Chase Drive has severe roof damage as well. There is also reports of homes damaged on Flowers Road according to the commissioner.

Power is out in many areas at this time as well.

Viewers in Cecile in Montgomery County are reporting at least one home with heavy damage on Wildwood Drive. One home’s garage has been completely destroyed and numerous tree are also reported down.

WSFA 12 News has not confirmed any injuries at this time. We have crews fanning out across our coverage area and will have more information as it becomes available.

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Some ignore siren as tornado strikes Ark. hamlet

By JON GAMBRELL – 7 hours ago

MENA, Ark. (AP) — The sirens sounded three times across this western Arkansas hamlet, and residents watched several funnel clouds pass harmlessly over town. The fourth siren was for another twister that ended up being a killer.

While many took cover immediately Thursday night in the basement of the county courthouse, others stayed home, only to glance out their windows just in time to see the black funnel descend on the community just east of the Oklahoma line. At least three people were killed, at least 30 others injured and 600 homes were damaged or destroyed.

“This one popped out of nowhere,” said Polk County Sheriff Mike Oglesby.

The tornado was part of a line of storms that continued wreaking havoc in the South on Friday. The National Weather Service said a tornado destroyed two homes in southwestern Kentucky, and authorities near Nashville, Tenn., said multiple tornado touchdowns were reported.

As daylight broke Friday in Mena, pink insulation hung like cherry blossoms from the sheared branches of century-old maples. The roof of a two-story home sat atop the rubble that once was the floors beneath it, a set of women’s clothes still hanging from a suspended closet rack.

Oglesby said search-and-rescue teams had combed through the city’s downtown and a neighborhood just west that sustained the brunt of the storm without finding any other victims. The sheriff said he had no reports of anyone else missing in the city of 5,700 in the Ouachita Mountains.

An initial survey of the damage suggests the tornado packed winds of at least 136 mph, weather service forecaster John Robinson said Friday.

Basic tornado safety rules call for people, when warned, to go to the lowest floor in a building and put as many walls as possible between themselves and outside.

A warning was posted at 7:24 p.m. Thursday night for areas north of Mena and another one went up for the community at 8:01 p.m. — nine minutes before it hit. The reason for four separate sirens wasn’t immediately clear, but Robinson said some communities cannot run their sirens continuously because their motors will burn up.

“Everything was well-covered. We said everything was heading straight toward Mena. It’s unfortunate yet,” Robinson.

The twice-monthly meeting of the Mena’s chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star had been going on uninterrupted, the 19 people inside only faintly hearing the sirens through the building’s cinderblock walls, said attendee Thurman Allen.

“We heard the siren two or three times. It would sound off and it would quit,” said Allen, 79. “We were getting ready to get out of the building when it hit.”

The storm tore down the Masonic hall’s walls, collapsing the roof on one woman, killing her, Allen said. Allen was hit with debris and thrown to the floor. The wind bowled over his wife and others inside.

“We had several ladies who it took the shoes right off their feet,” said Fred Key, 37.

Others killed in the Mena storm were found in a collapsed house and in a front yard, said James Reeves, the county’s emergency coordinator. The identities of the two women and a man who died have not been released.

Some residents sought shelter in the Polk County Courthouse, where dispatchers became trapped immediately after the storm. A radio antenna fell over onto part of the beige brick building during the storm, damaging its roof.

Others, like Ken Butler, 40, said they initially dismissed the sirens. Butler could only huddle against a wall as the storm hit, his arms wrapped around an exposed gas pipe.

“The siren was going off in plenty of time, I just didn’t take it serious enough,” Butler said.

The storm plucked his neighbor’s shotgun-style home off its foundation and tossed it about 20 feet away. Across the street, neighbor Edward Cross, 69, said he and his wife Nettie, 66, also didn’t heed the sirens. Instead, he lifted the blinds of his back windows to look out toward the town’s middle school and the courthouse.

At that point, Cross said the “big black cloud” loomed right in front of him.

“I didn’t have time to go nowhere, I just grabbed a hold of the wall and held on,” Cross said. The storm tore away a quarter of their home’s roof.

The violent weather was part of a system that caused damage throughout the South and parts of the Midwest. As the storms moved east, hail and high winds were reported in Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi and Tennessee. Power was out in many parts of the region.

Southeast of Nashville in Rutherford County, a sheriff’s dispatcher said “multiple tornado touchdowns” were reported Friday in various parts of the county.

Brian Smith, general manager at a Cracker Barrel restaurant in the area along Interstate 24, said he saw a “pretty wide” tornado and that he “could see debris in the air from the rotation.”

A tornado Friday destroyed two homes and knocked down trees and power lines near the community of Mannington, Ky., in Christian County, weather service meteorologist Robin Smith said in Paducah. Smith said the storm also dumped hail, some as large as eggs, throughout Christian and Lyon counties.

The weather service said a woman was injured at Shreveport, La., when a tree fell onto her car during a tornado. Twisters also damaged homes east of Vinita and near Muse in Oklahoma and at Crossett in far southern Arkansas, near the Louisiana line.

Mena’s storm destroyed a city plant that makes gaskets for air conditioners and an ice manufacturer. Small business owners swept up glass from their sidewalks in the downtown in a city known for its remodeled homes from the 1800s and century-old trees, said Prosecutor Tim Williamson.

The town once looked “pastoral,” Williamson said. “It’s not anymore.”

Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

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Tornado wallops Ark. town; 3 killed, dozens hurt

By JON GAMBRELL, Associated Press Writer

MENA, Ark. – Authorities began a house-to-house search Friday to check on residents after a tornado struck a “direct hit” on this mountain community, killing at least three people, injuring at least 30 others and flattening homes and businesses.

The twister descended quickly on Mena shortly after 8 p.m. Thursday after a series of siren blasts warned residents of tornadoes in the area.

Daylight exposed a community ripped apart. Century-old pecan trees leaned into homes — some with pink insulation strung from their limbs. Along some streets, roofs had collapsed into homes. On other streets, roofs were simply gone.

“It just looks like a war zone,” Mayor George McKee said.

Thurman Allen, 79, said his charitable group, the Order of the Eastern Star, had just sat down for its twice-monthly meeting at the Masonic lodge when the last siren sounded. Before the 19 attendees could take cover, the tornado peeled away the roof with winds so strong that some women had their shoes ripped off their feet.

“I was down on the floor — I just flattened,” Allen said.

One woman was killed by falling debris — her body recovered after emergency workers cut part of the roof away.

Elsewhere in the Ouachita Mountains town, Marion Boyt, 76, said he survived after rushing into a small closet with his son and daughter-in-law.

“I guess we got skinny because we were so scared,” he said.

Boyt said one of those killed died when the roof of a two-story home collapsed.

The body of the third person killed was found in her front yard, county’s emergency coordinator James Reeves said. Authorities have not released the names of those killed pending notification of their families.

National Guard troops patrolled the downtown of this city of 5,700 residents. An overnight curfew was put in effect as emergency crews dealt with ruptured gas lines, downed power lines, fallen trees and heavily damaged buildings.

Meanwhile, emergency workers were going door-to-door to check on residents, although there were no specific reports of people missing. They said they would likely need help getting around fallen trees.

Prosecutor Tim Williamson said dispatchers at the county courthouse had been trapped inside immediately after the storm, and that the county jail was “uninhabitable.” Inmates were transfered to nearby counties, said the office of County Judge Ray Stanley.

The twister tore the roof off a local community college building and destroyed two businesses at the city’s industrial park, Williamson said.

Mena Middle School also sustained significant roof damage, principal Mike Hobson said. One portable classroom was destroyed and that part of the auditorium’s roof was ripped away, and administrators would have to discuss when classes can resume, Hobson said.

Rick Lanman, who manages the Mena Airport, said darkness fell quickly as the tornado crossed the Oklahoma border 10 miles away.

“Me and the dog ran to the bathroom when we saw it on the TV,” Lanman said. “It was here in less than a minute.”

Mena sirens sounded for earlier storms north and south of town. When they sounded a fourth time, “experience was telling me that we were in trouble,” said Lanman, who said he been through tornadoes before in Oklahoma and Illinois.

The violent weather was part of a system that caused damage throughout the South and parts of the Midwest. The National Weather Service said a woman was injured at Shreveport, La., when a tree fell onto her car during a tornado. Twisters also damaged homes east of Vinita and near Muse in Oklahoma and at Crossettin far southern Arkansas, near the Louisiana line.

As the storms moved east, hail and high winds were reported in Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi and Tennessee. Power was out in many parts of the region.

The injured were taken to Mena Medical Center for treatment.

Reeves, the emergency coordinator, said he had never seen such a powerful storm hit the tornado-prone region.

“Not in my lifetime,” he said. “The last tornado we had to hit the city of Mena was in November 1993. This time we had significant structures (hit).”