18 Die Amid Apparent Winter Tornadoes, Other Storms in South

18 Die Amid Apparent Winter Tornadoes, Other Storms in South
Jeff Bullard sits in what used to be the foyer of his home as his daughter, Jenny Bullard, looks through debris at their home that was damaged by a tornado, Sunday, Jan. 22, 2017, in Adel, Ga. Gov. Nathan Deal declared a state of emergency in several counties, including Cook, that have suffered deaths, injuries and severe damage from weekend storms. AP Photo/Branden Camp
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ADEL, Ga.—First there was the roar of the wind, then mere seconds to scoop up her grandson and run: Bridgit Simmons and her family knew the weekend storms that claimed more than a dozen lives around the South were threatening.

They had heard storm warnings all day Sunday, but that afternoon it all happened so fast as storms that killed at least 18 over the weekend moved across the Deep South. She, along with her parents, her daughter, and her grandson were in their brick home in the southwest Georgia city of Albany when the sky got dark and the wind began to howl.

“I was in the den and I heard that loud roar and I grabbed the baby and I said, ‘Let’s go guys. This is it.’ We laid down and that was it.” The wind was so loud, she added, “you could hear it beating back and forth.”

Tense minutes went by. Then the storm moved on, the sky lightened and the winds calmed.

 

People stop to take a photo of a gas station damaged by an apparent tornado, Sunday, Jan. 22, 2017, in Albany, Ga. (AP Photo/Branden Camp)
People stop to take a photo of a gas station damaged by an apparent tornado, Sunday, Jan. 22, 2017, in Albany, Ga. AP Photo/Branden Camp