“Blaring tornado sirens and howling winds roared across parts of western Georgia early Friday as severe storms pounded southern states, including in Alabama where at least five people died in twisters that wrecked homes, splintered trees and crumpled businesses. Meteorologists said a large, dangerous tornado swept through metro Atlanta’s Coweta County around midnight Friday, sparking a tornado emergency for the city of Newnan and surrounding communities. There were several reports downed trees and power lines. Newnan police asked residents to ‘get off the roads’ in a Facebook post, explaining that emergency officials were surveying the area.”

“Newnan Mayor Keith Brady said no fatalities were immediately reported. The strong storm followed a series of tornadoes that ripped through Alabama on Thursday, including one that authorities said traveled roughly 100 miles (160 kilometers) across the state. In east Alabama, Calhoun County Sheriff Matthew Wade said five people died in a twister that cut a diagonal path across the county, striking mostly rural areas – something that likely kept the death toll from being higher. ‘Our hearts, our thoughts and our prayers go to the families, and we are going to do our best to let them know we love them,’ Wade said at an evening briefing. Multiple twisters sprang from a ‘super cell’ of storms that later moved into Georgia, said John De Block, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Birmingham. Several school districts were closed or delayed Friday due to the damage. Vast areas of Shelby County near Birmingham – the state’s biggest city – were badly damaged” – AP.