Storms, tornadoes kill at least 17 across the South

(CNN) -- A tornado warning was issued for parts of Georgia early Saturday after a powerful band of storms barreled through the South, toppling trees, snapping power lines and bringing the two-day death toll to 17.

Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley declared a state of emergency Friday after reports of tornado touchdowns in at least six counties.

Multiple injuries were reported in Sumter and Marengo counties, with at least one fatality in the latter, he said.

Three people were also killed in Autauga County after fallen trees crashed into mobile homes in the area, police said.

Three deaths in Washington County were reported, said Yasamie August, spokeswoman for the Alabama Emergency Management Agency.

Two other deaths were previously reported in Oklahoma and seven in Arkansas.

"This is a serious storm that has already caused significant damage across the South. I hope Alabamians take extreme caution while these storms move through," Bentley said in a statement.

Mississippi Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant and Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin similarly ordered states of emergency Friday for 14 Mississippi counties and 26 Oklahoma counties, respectively.

Fallin is expected to tour the damaged area Saturday.

In Greene County, one death and six injuries were reported, officials said.

The city of Clinton, Mississippi, suffered "extensive damage" when a tornado touched down, according to Mississippi's Emergency Management Agency.

The city's mayor said no one was injured in the storm, which tore the roof from a hotel and caused major damage to a bank and numerous homes. It narrowly missed an elementary school and a church daycare center packed with about 650 children between them, she added.

"We have a lot to be grateful for," Mayor Rosemary Aultman said. "It could have been a lot worse."

The storm also tossed cars on Interstate 20, Aultman said.

The tornado in Clinton was one of several reported Friday in Mississippi and Alabama that cut a wide path of destruction.

CNN affiliate WAPT in Jackson, Mississippi, showed video of the destroyed home of a teacher at Hinds Community College.

Several of her students were at the house, helping to clean and salvage what they could from the wreckage.

"I've never seen anything like this," said one student. "My heart dropped because it hurt me to see my teacher's home like this. ... I know it's hurting her, but she's being strong about it."

Numerous power poles were snapped in Jackson along the storm's path, leaving more than 23,400 customers without power, utility company Entergy Mississippi said.

Choctaw County Sheriff Todd Kemp reported structural damage and trees down near the site of a tornado in State Line, Mississippi.

Elsewhere in Alabama, a tornado emergency was issued for the towns of Geiger, Panola, New West Green and Pleasant Ridge, according to the National Weather Service.

Tornadoes also were reported near Linden in Alabama and in or near the cities of Loper, Madden, Mount Sterling and Ludlow in Mississippi, according to the weather service.

It predicted a continued threat of thunderstorms and tornadoes in parts of the Southeast and Midwest through Saturday as the storms moved northeast.

Of immediate concern were the tens of thousands of fans gathered for a weekend of races at the Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama, which was under a tornado watch until 9 p.m.

Some 30,000 people were camped out, some in tents, on the infield of the speedway, said Steve Dover, spokesman for the Talladega County Emergency Management Agency. Thousands more were seated in the grandstands, he said.

Fans have been asked to secure anything that could become flying debris, make plans for evacuating in the event of bad weather and to monitor weather reports, Dover said. If the need arises, he added, authorities would open up traffic lanes leading into the track to speed evacuations, but he said there's little shelter at the track itself.

"There's no shelter big enough to put 100,000 people, of course," he said.

Cody Buchanan was one of the many fans determined to ride out the storm.

"If it gets bad, we'll just take everything down," he told CNN affiliate WBMA. "We're going to get inside the camper and hold on."

In Georgia, the National Weather Service issued a tornado watch for the western and northern parts of the state, predicting hail, dangerous lightning and possible wind gusts of up to 70 miles per hour. It issued a tornado warning Friday night for northern metro Atlanta, meaning that a tornado may already be on the ground or is expected to develop shortly.

The storms were the latest in a round of severe weather that has hit parts of the Midwest and South since Thursday.

They left a trail of downed trees and power lines, scattered cars and crushed homes as it moved east.

Rescue crews found a 34-year-old woman in bed with her 7-year-old, whom she had apparently come to comfort during the overnight storm, said Little Rock Fire Department Capt. Randy Davenport.
An 18-month-old child in another bedroom survived.