Severe Storms Kill 1 in Texas

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Violent storms killed one person in Texas on April 5 as hail pelted communities and high winds knocked trees into power poles elsewhere in the South. Authorities issued a flurry of tornado warnings at the start of what could be two days of violent weather in the region.

In eastern Texas, W. M. Soloman, 71, died when storm winds toppled a tree onto Solomon’s home in Whitehouse, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) southeast of Dallas, Whitehouse Mayor James Wansley said. Officials said trees fell on at least four homes in the area.

More than 50,000 homes and businesses were without power Tuesday afternoon from eastern Texas to South Carolina. No injuries were reported, but the National Weather Service issued a nonstop stream of tornado warnings for hours as the storm system tore across Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina.

Elsewhere in Texas, one person was injured when the storms swept through Johnson County, about 40 miles (65 kilometers) southwest of Dallas. Brittaney Deaton said she became trapped in an RV trailer behind her family’s home after the trailer flipped over. She said her stepfather got injured trying to free her.

“I was screaming on the phone. I couldn’t get out. I was terrified,” Deaton told KDFW-TV. “And I felt like I was just trapped, like it was going to roll with me in it. And I just thank God that I got out.”

Her mother, Amber Zeleny, said her husband suffered injuries to his nose, leg and ribs but that he was expected to recover.

The threat of damaging weather will move further north on Wednesday, forecasters said, with severe storms possible across an area stretching from western Alabama to the western tip of the Carolinas. More than 10 million people in metro areas including Atlanta; Birmingham; and Chattanooga, Tennessee, will be at risk, the Storm Prediction Center said.

Springtime often brings strong storms to the Southeast. Te region has faced a barrage of weather recently that included a tornado last month in metro New Orleans, where one person died, and storms that killed at least two people in the Florida Panhandle last week.