13 people, including 10 children, were killed in the aftermath of tropical storm Claudette

13 people, including 10 children, were killed in the aftermath of tropical storm Claudette

Claudette regained tropical storm status Monday morning — approaching the Carolina coast less than two days after 13 people died in the aftermath of the storm in Alabama. Tragic incidents included a multi-vehicle accident in Butler County that killed 9 children.

According to the authorities, eight of the children aged 4 to 17 were driving the Tallapoosa County Girls Ranch vehicle. The youth ranch provides a home for abandoned or abused school-aged children, according to Alabama Sheriffs Youth Ranches, a nonprofit that operates the ranch and other organizations across the state.

According to Michael Smith, CEO of Tallapoosa County Girls Ranch, the only survivor of the ranch vehicle was the director behind the wheel.

According to Smith, the director lost two of her own children in the accident, and is currently hospitalized in a serious but stable condition. She was probably saved by passers-by who pulled the woman out of the car when she was unconscious and locked inside.

“We lost eight young people who could change our world, we lost eight young people who did not there was an opportunity to have children of our own, we lost eight young people who did not get a chance to break the circle in which they lived and give a different life to their own children, ”Smith said.

“ It's a sad day.

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The accident also claimed the lives of two people who were driving a different vehicle. They were identified as 29-year-old Cody Fox and his 9-month-old daughter Ariana; both from Marion County, Tennessee.

Several others were injured.

In addition, a 24-year-old man and a 3-year-old boy died on Saturday when a tree fell on their home nearby from Tuscaloosa, said Captain Jack Kennedy of the Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit. Another victim, 23-year-old Macayla Ross of Fort Payne, died on Saturday after her car flew off the road into a stream.

According to WBRC-TV, a search was also conducted in Birmingham for the person who is believed to have fallen into the water during a flash flood.

On Monday morning, Claudette's maximum force was 40 miles per hour, according to a report from the National Hurricane Center. Forecasters said the storm was recorded 65 miles east-southeast of Raleigh, North Carolina, moving east-northeast at 25 miles per hour.

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