Over the weekend, Tropical Storm Claudette caused deadly weather conditions in Alabama. Ten people, including nine children and one adult, lost their lives on the Alabama interstate, according to CBS News. More than 10 cars were involved in the crash — with one car carrying eight of the people who died.
Those people were reportedly eight children from a vehicle belonging to Tallapoosa County Girls Ranch. The ranch is a home for abused and neglected children, according to Alabama Sheriffs Youth Ranch’s Facebook page . The van caught fire while driving on the highway and bystanders were only able to pull out the driver. The deceased ranged in age from 4 to 17 years old years old.
Another child, aged 9 months old, died alongside a 29-year-old man in a separate vehicle. Multiple people were injured in the pileup. Butler County Coroner Wayne Garlock said the accident was likely caused by cars that hydroplaned on the wet highway.
Claudette also claimed the lives of two additional people elsewhere in Alabama, according to additional CBS News reports.. A 24-year-old man and a three-year-old boy were killed when a tree fell into their home. Authorities also reported the passing of a 23-year-old woman after her car entered a flooded creek.
The storm Claudette has now reportedly moved away from the United States and into the Atlantic Ocean as of Monday afternoon. It previously touched areas like the Gulf Coast before moving through Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and North Carolina causing heavy rainfalls of up to a foot, according to CNN.
As you may already know, the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season began on June 1. Land in and near the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea will be in danger of tropical storms and hurricanes until about November 30, when the season ends.
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