The death toll from a series of violent storms that swept across the South rose to 76 early Thursday after Mississippi officials confirmed the storm-related deaths of 18 people in that state.
Among the fatalities was a 3-year-old girl in McComb, Mississippi, who died in her bed from a falling tree.
Meanwhile, Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal declared four northwestern counties disaster areas after a series of severe storms and tornadoes swept through the state, killing at least 11 people.
Deal declared a state of emergency in Catoosa, Floyd, Dade and Walker counties.
His declaration followed declarations by the governors of Mississippi and Alabama, where at least 45 people died during a wave of violent weather in that state, according to emergency management officials.
In Alabama, the National Guard dispatched hundreds of personnel to some of the state's hardest hit areas.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the families who lost loved ones or property in this devastating storm," said Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, who declared a state of emergency in 39 counties. The declaration allows the state to offer aid to the counties during recovery efforts.
The state was also bracing for flooding along the Mississippi River.
The storms killed 11 people in Georgia, seven in Catoosa County, two in Spalding County and two in Dade County, according to the Georgia Emergency Management Agency.
The town of Ringgold, Georgia, was hit particularly hard. One tornado appeared to remain on the ground for at least a mile, said Gary Sisk with the Catoosa County Sheriff's Department, adding that some buildings were demolished.
The Georgia storms left 38,000 customers without power statewide, according to Georgia Power Co.
Arkansas and Tennessee reported that at least one person died in each of those states.
The Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant in Alabama automatically shut down after losing off-site power, said Barbara Martocci of the Tennessee Valley Authority.
Among the fatalities was a 3-year-old girl in McComb, Mississippi, who died in her bed from a falling tree.
Meanwhile, Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal declared four northwestern counties disaster areas after a series of severe storms and tornadoes swept through the state, killing at least 11 people.
Deal declared a state of emergency in Catoosa, Floyd, Dade and Walker counties. His declaration followed declarations by the governors of Mississippi and Alabama, where at least 45 people died during a wave of violent weather in that state, according to emergency management officials.
In Alabama, the National Guard dispatched hundreds of personnel to some of the state's hardest hit areas.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the families who lost loved ones or property in this devastating storm," said Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, who declared a state of emergency in 39 counties. The declaration allows the state to offer aid to the counties during recovery efforts.
The state was also bracing for flooding along the Mississippi River.
The storms killed 11 people in Georgia, seven in Catoosa County, two in Spalding County and two in Dade County, according to the Georgia Emergency Management Agency.
The town of Ringgold, Georgia, was hit particularly hard. One tornado appeared to remain on the ground for at least a mile, said Gary Sisk with the Catoosa County Sheriff's Department, adding that some buildings were demolished.
The Georgia storms left 38,000 customers without power statewide, according to Georgia Power Co.
Arkansas and Tennessee reported that at least one person died in each of those states.
The Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant in Alabama automatically shut down after losing off-site power, said Barbara Martocci of the Tennessee Valley Authority.
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