Severe Storms Damage South

One Woman Killed In Alabama; School Children Injured In Florida

(AP)  Parts of the South and East are getting hammered by bad weather. The National Weather Service warns of the possibility of tornadoes, hail and dangerous lightning.

Severe storms and tornadoes swept across three states Friday, killing a woman in Alabama, damaging dozens of homes, and tearing a section of roof off a Florida school, where 13 children were injured, authorities said.

The children at Florida’s Baker School had minor cuts and bruises, said Ken Wolf, emergency management director for Okaloosa County.

A nearby post office and several mobile homes were also damaged in the Panhandle town, about 50 miles northeast of Pensacola, the National Weather Service reported.

In the small community of Belleville, Ala., at least 18 homes and the fire department building were damaged or destroyed by an apparent tornado, state Emergency Management Agency director Bruce Baughman said.

The Conecuh County, Ala., sheriff's office confirmed the death of a woman who was killed in her home by a chimney collapse.

Betty Williams, 58, had just returned from an errand to the store, her daughter, Cynthia Williams, told The Associated Press. She had entered the house, put her purse down on the table and returned to unload the car.

“The wind pushed the chimney down and crushed her. It didn't last but a minute,” the daughter said.

In South Carolina, a tornado touched down in rural Clarendon County, injuring at least nine people and destroying mobile homes in its path, officials said.

At least three people were in serious condition Friday night, said Clarendon Memorial nursing supervisor Beverly Trotter said.

“Everybody was pretty shook up,” Trotter said. “I have people who are getting minor stitches all the way up to surgery.”