On Sunday afternoon, Lee County, southeast of Alabama was thrown into chaos as horrendous tornadoes claimed the lives of twenty-three victims including a six-year-old child. Homes, businesses, and valuables have been affected adversely by the strong winds, the BBC reported.

The potency of the tornadoes

The tornadoes were potent enough that homes were wrecked, power outages happened and a huge steel cell tower came crashing down.

USA Today reckon these strong winds were equally felt in parts of Southern California, Georgia, and Florida.

A spokeswoman for Lee County Emergency, Rita Smith, notes that about 150 first responders joined efforts to help find survivors who were hit by the powerful storms. Beauregard in Lee County seems to be the area most affected. Video clips show debris found and houses without roofs and homes reduced to slabs.

The National Weather Service (NWS) said it raced through Lee County with winds of 150 miles per hour at the midpoint of the five-step Enhanced Fujita scale, which is used by meteorologists to measure the magnitude of tornado's strength.

Yahoo News believes up to fifty persons are injured and twenty-three victims dead already. The roads were littered with loads of debris. The authorities say the death toll could rise as the week continues. A local resident was interviewed by the authorities. They had this to say: “Everything just kind of went dark...when it was almost like night outside. And it's that old cliché that it sounds like a freight train coming, well, that's what it sounded like.” Obviously, the experience was terrifying.

BBC News has it that this would be the country's deadliest tornado spawning in six years since twenty-four people were killed in Oklahoma City on May 20, 2013. Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones said that the disaster and the sheer volume of debris collected are the most he has ever seen.

Reactions to the tragedy

Governor Kay Ivey of Alabama State went on to Twitter to voice her condolences to persons and families affected by the winds. She pointed out that the authorities have been issued orders to send relief and help in searching for survivors.

Likewise, President Donald Trump also used the same media platform to express his concerns. Alabama Meteorologist Eric Snitill reacted as well. Hee tweeted that more deaths have been recorded in the Lee County tornados than the entirety of the United States last year.