Sunday night’s storm left some damage in Edgefield County near North Augusta.
The storm caused damage around Sportsman’s Corner and left about 4,000 people without power and caused seven minor injuries, according to Suzy Spurgeon, director of Edgefield County’s Emergency Management Agency.
Spurgeon said the seven injuries were minor, and there was one medical emergency during the storm.
The 4,000 outages had been reduced to 500, Spurgeon said Monday afternoon, and they were mostly along Woodlawn Road and Martintown Road between Currytown Road and Briggs Road. Aiken Electric Cooperative was working on the outages and expected to have most power restored by Monday afternoon.
Storm cleanup: Sportsman's Corner
Downed trees could be seen in areas of Edgefield County after Sunday's storm.
Road closures included Woodlawn from Martintown to the McCormick County line, Martintown from Currytown to Briggs, Briggs from Sweetwater to Martintown, and the intersection at Sportsmans Corner, according to the Edgefield County Emergency Management Agency’s Facebook page.
Spurgeon asked that people stay away from the area if they do not live there.
"An NWS Survey Team has determined some of the damage in Edgefield County is consistent with a tornado. It is too early to tell if this is the same tornado that hit Columbia County, GA, or a separate vortex," read a National Weather Service Columbia tweet.
______
At least 23 dead as tornadoes, severe storms ravage South
BEAUREGARD, Ala. (AP) — A tornado roared into southeast Alabama and killed at least 23 people and injured several others Sunday, part of a severe storm system that caused catastrophic damage and unleashed other tornadoes around the Southeast.
"Unfortunately our toll, as far as fatalities, does stand at 23 at the current time," Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones told WRBL-TV of the death toll. He added that two people were in intensive care.
Drones flying overheard equipped with heat-seeking devices had scanned the area for survivors but the dangerous conditions halted the search late Sunday, Jones said. "The devastation is incredible," he said. An intense ground search would resume Monday morning.
The National Weather Service confirmed late Sunday a tornado with at least an F3 rating and a track at least half a mile (.8 kilometers) wide caused the deadly destruction in Alabama. Although the statement did not give exact wind estimates, F3 storms typically are gauged at wind speeds of between 158-206 mph (254-331 kilometers per hour).
President Donald Trump tweeted late Sunday, "To the great people of Alabama and surrounding areas: Please be careful and safe. ... To the families and friends of the victims, and to the injured, God bless you all!"
Numerous tornado warnings were posted across parts of Alabama, Georgia, Florida and South Carolina on Sunday afternoon as the powerful storm system raced across the region. Weather officials said they confirmed other tornadoes around the region by radar alone and would send teams out early Monday to assess those and other storms.
Associated Press writers Russ Bynum in Savannah, Georgia, Bill Cormier in Atlanta, and Ryan Kryska in New York contributed to this report.
