At least three confirmed dead in Alabama storms as recovery continues Sunday

At least three people were confirmed dead in Alabama after a wave of severe storms spawned tornadoes across the state throughout Saturday evening, causing power outages, downed trees and destroyed structures.

John Green found one of the people who died in the storm Saturday, his friend Floyd "Dunk" Pickering. The friends had been enjoying a crawfish boil along Lovelady Drive in the northern Dallas County community of Plantersville before the tornado struck. Green was at his truck across the street when the tornado hit, lifting the truck to the side.

"It's by the grace of God I made it back from the truck to the house," Green said.

In addition to Pickering, Green found two more people pinned beneath debris. One of them was Emily Robertson. She said the tornado sounded like an explosion. She fell on her bed, and the roof caved in on top of her. The winds then picked up her, the bed and the roof.

Sheriff Mike Granthum reported two deaths and two injuries that were not life-threatening in Plantersville.

"We're fortunate it was only two lives that were lost," Granthum said. "If it was a lot more heavily populated it could have been a lot more lives that were lost."

Robertson surveyed the devastation that used to be her home.

"It looks like a war zone," Robertson said.

Her neighbor, Melissa Stough, agreed.

"It's going to be a while for people to pick up the pieces on this," Stough said.

Granthum pointed out that it was just two years ago that a tornado hit Dallas County, taking out the jail that has still not been rebuilt.

"It seems like we can't get a break," Granthum said. "We just had one two years ago."

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey later confirmed at least three deaths and noted that there were reports of damage in 52 of the state's 67 counties as the assessment continues.

"The sun has risen in Alabama, though," Ivey said. "We pray for those lives we lost, as well as those who were injured. And we pray for our first responders, emergency management officials and linemen who are doing incredible work on the ground right now."

More than a dozen tornado warnings were issued by National Weather Service offices serving Alabama, and several involved confirmed tornadoes. A possible tornado struck the Pickens County town of Gordo Saturday afternoon, causing damage to homes and structures and downed trees.

The Plantersville area was under a tornado warning when the heaviest damage happened, about 8:30 p.m. An 83-year-old woman and a 70-year-old man were killed, Granthum said. The damage is centered along County Road 63, also known as Old Highway 22. Several homes, mobile homes and out buildings were damaged, the sheriff said.

The Chilton County communities of Maplesville and Pletcher also received damage from the same storm, social media posts show.

A possible tornado struck Troy about 11:30 p.m., said Herb Reeves, director of the Pike County Emergency Management Agency. The area was under a tornado warning at the time. "Significant" damage occurred on the south side of Troy, along U.S. 231 near the Wal-Mart Supercenter, Reeves said.

As of about 8:30 a.m. Sunday there was one report of a "minor" injury in Pike County, Reeves said. A truck driver was injured. His rig was parked near Wal-Mart and overturned during the storm. Two mobile homes overturned and "several" homes and buildings had trees blown onto them. Some streets were still blocked by debris and downed trees early Sunday morning.

One possible tornado tracked over a portion of northwest Autauga County about 8 p.m. This storm caused a tornado warning to be issued for Dallas, Autauga, and Chilton counties, about 30 minutes before the fatal Dallas County storm.

There was one injury reported in Autauga County, said David Bagley, director of the local emergency management agency. The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency planned to fly a helicopter over the damage path Sunday for a better assessment, he said.

The damage is along County Road 103 and 7. County 7 is closed "... due the the significant number of trees across the roadway and may not reopen for several days," Bagley said.

In neighboring Elmore County, there were "about two dozen," reports of downed trees but no property damage was reported, said Keith Barnett of the local EMA.

The NWS office in Birmingham said there are 16 storm tracks in central Alabama that will be investigated to see if tornadoes caused the damage. The tracks are in Autauga, Dallas, Chilton, Perry, Hale, Talladega, Coosa, Tallapoosa, Shelby, Pickens, Tuscaloosa, Walker, Pike, Chambers and Sumter counties.

The NWS office in Huntsville also is investigating a storm track in Cullman County to see if the damage was caused by a tornado.

Saturday's storms were part of a particularly dangerous setup for Alabama. The National Weather Service and local forecasters warned of the potential of a severe tornado outbreak for several days before the event.

Nationally, more than 30 fatalities have been reported due to the system in Texas, Kansas, Missouri, Mississippi and other states, Paste BN reported.

(This story was updated to add more information and photos.)

Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Marty Roney at mroney@gannett.com.