BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Tornadoes that dropped out of the night sky killed five people in two states and injured at least a dozen more early Wednesday, adding to a seemingly biblical onslaught of drought, flood and fire plaguing the South.The storms tore through just as firefighters began to get control of wildfires that killed seven and wiped out more than 150 homes and businesses around the resort town of Gatlinburg, Tennessee. In Alabama, the weather system dumped more than 2 inches of rain in areas that had been parched by months of choking drought.At least 10 confirmed twisters damaged homes, splintered barns and toppled trees in parts of Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee, the National Weather Service said. Tombstones were even knocked over in the cemetery behind the badly damaged Rosalie Baptist Church, near where three people died in northeastern Alabama."It looks like the rapture happened up there," said church member Steve Hall, referring to the end-times belief of many Christians."Are we thinking the Lord is trying to get our attention?" said the pastor, Roger Little.The National Weather Service was assessing damage from multiple possible tornadoes across the region.
Southern plagues: Drought, flood, fire and now killer storms
Tornadoes rake Bible Belt states


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