Storm Claudette hits southern United States: at least 12 dead have been recorded

At least Twelve people, including ten minors, died in Alabama on Saturday in the wake of Tropical Storm Claudette passing through the southeastern United States, local media reported on Sunday.

Ten people, including nine children, were killed in a traffic accident while a father and his young son were killed when a tree fell on their home.

According to Butler County Coroner Wayne Garlock, as quoted by Alabama News Network, the traffic accident happened when two vehicles collided, possibly due to poor road conditions. Garlock said vehicles likely skidded on wet roads due to the passage of the first tropical storm to hit the United States during the current hurricane season in the Atlantic Basin.

Butler County had a terrible accident and we think it is the worst ever in our riding. Many vehicles were involved, many injured and even dead, ”local police initially reported on their Facebook page.

To this accident, we must add the death on Saturday of two other people in Tuscaloosa County, also in Alabama, who died last night while a tree fell on your house. The two deceased are a 24-year-old man and his 3-year-old son. Tuscaloosa County Emergency Agency Director Nick Lolley reported as quoted by the Tuscaloosa News.

Tropical depression Claudette threatens to strengthen this Sunday and recover the tropical storm category in the next few hours while leaving heavy rains in the southeastern United States, where it is Saturday caused several tornadoes.

The United States’ National Hurricane Center (NHC) warned in its latest bulletin, published at 12:00 GMT (local time), that Claudette continues to produce heavy rains with the risk of flooding and flash floods in much of the southeast of the country.

At that time, the low was 25 miles (35 kilometers) west of Atlanta, Georgia, where they suffered in the early hours of that Sunday. its maximum sustained winds of 30 miles per hour (45 km / h).

The third tropical storm of the season hurricanes in the Atlantic basin and the first to hit the United States This Saturday caused floods and tornadoes, which left at least three injured, a possible missing person and more than fifty houses damaged before deteriorating into a tropical depression.

But NHC experts say weather conditions appear to be “favorable” for its further strengthening once it encounters a more unstable marine environment as it approaches the Atlantic Ocean, where it is currently heading at a speed of. translation of 13 m / h (25 km / h).

Once it reaches the Atlantic, once again a tropical storm and with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph (80 km / h), it will head northwest and it would reach the Canadian coast in the middle of next week.

Meanwhile, meteorologists warn Claudette could leave heavy rain, flooding and flooding this Sunday in rural and urban areas in the Florida, Alabama and Georgia areas, and already Monday in North and South Carolina. .

And all because we expect that in the next few hours it will add up to 6 inches (15 centimeters) more rain in the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.

These amounts will be somewhat lower than the precipitation that fell this Saturday in areas of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and the western end of Florida, where it accumulated up to 15 inches (38 centimeters ).

This rain, added to storm surges and tides, can cause flooding in coastal areas, where water could reach a maximum of one meter in parts of North Carolina.

To all this we must add the potential tornado alerts in the Georgia and Carolinas regions, which would be in addition to those recorded Saturday in Alabama and Florida, where several people were injured and many homes were damaged.

The National Weather Service reported that flooding reached nearly four meters in height in the town of Village Creek, Alabama, and firefighters in nearby Birmingham told local media they were looking for a man who may have may -be swept away by the currents. .

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has released its forecast for this year. Over the next six months, 13-20 storms are expected to form with enough intensity to be named, constituting what is called a more active than normal season. Of these storms, between 6 and 10 are predicted to become hurricanes, of which between 3 and 5 could be major hurricanes, that is, hurricanes of category 3 or higher.

(with information from the EFE)

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