6 dead after tornadoes rip through South; new storm could bring more twisters to region

Five people died in Alabama while one death was reported in Georgia.

March 26, 2021, 1:44 PM

Six people are dead in the South after at least 23 tornadoes tore through Alabama, Mississippi and Georgia on Thursday.

One person died in Coweta County, Georgia, where the damage is "catastrophic," Coweta County Fire Chief Pat Wilson said Friday.

PHOTO: A man moves personal items from a home, in Newnan, in Coweta County, Ga. on March 26, 2021, after a tornado moved through the area.
A man moves personal items from a home, in Newnan, in Coweta County, Ga. on March 26, 2021, after a tornado moved through the area.
John Spink/Atlanta Journal & Constitution via AP
PHOTO: Two women make their way down a debris filled street in Coweta County, Ga., on March 26, 2021, after a tornado moved through the area.
Two women make their way down a debris filled street in Coweta County, Ga., on March 26, 2021, after a tornado moved through the area.
John Spink/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP

Five people lost their lives in Calhoun County, Alabama, after the state was hit with 17 reported tornadoes.

Three people from one family were among the victims, according to the Calhoun County Medical Examiner's Office. A 13-year-old girl survived but lost her mother and grandparents, according to Calhoun County Sheriff Matthew Wade.

A long-track tornado may have been on the ground for roughly 100 miles Thursday, according to the National Weather Service in Birmingham.

PHOTO: Residents cut away debris after a tornado touches down south of Birmingham, Ala., in the Eagle Point community damaging multiple homes, March 25, 2021.
Residents cut away debris after a tornado touches down south of Birmingham, Ala., in the Eagle Point community damaging multiple homes, March 25, 2021.
Butch Dill/AP
PHOTO: Piles of debris remain after a tornado touched down killing several people and damaging multiple homes, March 25, 2021, in Ohatchee, Ala.
Piles of debris remain after a tornado touched down killing several people and damaging multiple homes, March 25, 2021, in Ohatchee, Ala.
Butch Dill/AP

In the Eagle Point community near Birmingham, Larry and Mary Rose DeArman were riding out the twister in their home when the "house started shaking" and "everything caved in on us," Mary Rose DeArman told ABC News.

Neighbors reached the couple quickly and dropped ladders in for them to climb out.

They went to the hospital before returning to take a look at their demolished home of 21 years.

The storm system that brought the tornado outbreak to the South is now moving across the Northeast, where scattered storms could bring powerful wind gusts.

A severe thunderstorm watch is in effect from Glen Falls, New York, to Burlington, Vermont, through 4 p.m. ET.

Wind alerts are in effect from Washington, D.C., to Philadelphia to New York to Boston through the afternoon and evening. Wind gusts could reach 50 mph. This weekend, a new storm brings yet another severe weather threat for Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee.

PHOTO: A neighbor hugs Danny Poss, pastor of Ragan Chapel United Methodist Church, as he surveys tornado damage at the church, on March 26, 2021, in Ohatchee, Ala.
A neighbor hugs Danny Poss, pastor of Ragan Chapel United Methodist Church, as he surveys tornado damage at the church, on March 26, 2021, in Ohatchee, Ala.
Julie Bennett/Getty Images

An "enhanced risk" has already been issued for Saturday from Memphis to Nashville, where residents could see more tornadoes, damaging winds and hail.

The severe storm threat moves east on Sunday, stretching from Atlanta to Raleigh to Washington, D.C.