The video from the CNN branch WVTM shows that the Hampton Inn in Fultondale, which is located just north of Birmingham and according to the census data has about 9,000 inhabitants, suffered significant damage during the storm. The subsidiary reported that guests staying at the hotel were able to escape from the building and sought refuge in a nearby restaurant when another line of storms passed.
“Significant damage has been reported. We will investigate the damage to determine the strength of the tornado,” NWS Birmingham said.
The agency said earlier on Twitter: “At 22:54 CST there was a confirmed large and extremely dangerous tornado over Chalkville, or near Trussville, moving at 50 km / h east.”
About 13 km northeast of Birmingham, the city center of Point Point, with a population of more than 16,000 inhabitants, also caused ‘considerable damage’ by the storm, Mayor Bobby Scott told CNN subsidiary WBRC.
Scott said the back half of Hilldale Baptist Church’s roof was missing and the city’s recreation center was also damaged in the storm.
“It looks like we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow,” Scott said. “Hopefully we can cover everything.”
“We currently have no injuries to report, so we are definitely grateful for that,” the mayor added.
The Jefferson County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) has
asked people to stay out of the area as first responders try to reach the most damaged places.
“In addition to road hazards such as power lines and debris … traffic is blocked,” the
agency tweeted.Eleven schools in the area will be closed for both personal and virtual learning on Tuesday,
Jefferson County EMA said on Twitter.A tornado alert was issued Monday night for Jefferson County, Alabama,
NWS Birmingham said in a tweet. The agency has meanwhile issued tornado warnings and watches for several provinces as the storm surges northeast through the state.
A Tornado Watch still applies to parts of Alabama and Georgia
This is an evolving story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
Christine Sever contributed to this report.
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