NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) ? Severe storms and suspected tornadoes caused injuries and damage in several Southern states early on Wednesday, and more rough weather was expected across the region.
The cities of Mobile, Montgomery and Birmingham in Alabama; Atlanta; Columbia, South Carolina; and Charlotte and Raleigh, North Carolina were at risk for severe weather, according to AccuWeather.com.
At least 15 people were injured in southern Mississippi on Wednesday morning as storms passed through Jones County, just north of Laurel.
However, only one person was transported to an area hospital for treatment, said Don McKinnon, the county's emergency management director.
No deaths were reported in Mississippi.
About three dozen homes and several businesses were affected by strong winds stemming from suspected tornadoes, McKinnon said. An area near the Shady Grove community suffered the brunt of the damage, with felled trees temporarily trapping some residents in their homes and winds knocking some mobile homes off their foundations.
"It's been a busy morning. It looks like five homes have been destroyed," McKinnon told Reuters.
A series of deadly tornadoes battered the Southeast in April, killing an estimated 364 people in states including Alabama and Mississippi.
Possible tornadoes also struck in two southeast Louisiana locations early Wednesday, said Freddie Zeigler, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Slidell, Louisiana.
The NWS Service had received no reports of injuries resulting from storms that hit near the towns of Houma, an hour south of New Orleans, and Kentwood, about an hour north of the city.
Weather officials received reports on Wednesday that a two-story house was lifted from its foundation and moved about 10 feet, and an unoccupied semi-truck was thrown around in winds that struck three miles south of Kentwood.
Southwestern Alabama experienced widespread rain showers and thunderstorms, said National Weather Service meteorologist Aaron Gleason in Birmingham.
The band of severe weather was tracking to the northeast through central Alabama with tornado watches in effect, and the threat of severe weather was predicted to continue throughout the afternoon and evening for the eastern portion of central Alabama, Gleason said.
"We have enough wind shear to be conducive to tornadoes," he said. "We have damage reports from Sumter County in southwest Alabama for a possible tornado."
Gleason said the affected areas had seen downed trees and damaged homes. In the city of Demopolis, strong winds overturned a boat at a boat dealership and caused roof damage in town.
An elderly individual who had been trapped inside a damaged home in southwestern Alabama was transported to a local hospital, said Yasamie August, spokeswoman for the Alabama Emergency Management Agency.
Nearly 23,000 Alabama Power Company customers in Montgomery, the state capital, and Auburn, home of Auburn University, were without power early Wednesday afternoon, said company spokesman Freddy Padilla.
(Additional reporting by Peggy Gargis in Birmingham, Ala, and Kelli Dugan in Mobile, Ala; Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Jerry Norton)
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