Alabama was again in the crosshairs of a major spring storm system that is blamed for causing major damage in dozens of counties in the north, west, central and eastern sections of the state. A line of severe thunderstorms moved slowly to the east producing widespread damage from straight-line winds and tornadoes. The hardest hit areas include Limestone County, just north of the Tennessee line where two people died after a twister pummeled an area west of Athens. According to the latest storm reports from the National Weather Service, a confirmed tornado touched down near Hamilton in Marion County, several houses were damaged. A suspected tornado and straight line winds caused heavy property damage in Sumter, Pickens, Fayette, Walker and Talladega counties. In Jefferson County, a possible twister touched down in the Kimberly Community where the town fire department was destroyed. A tornado also was confirmed in Graysville and Adamsville.
State of Emergency
Governor Robert Bentley has declared a state of emergency in response to a severe weather system that crossed the state. Bentley said in a statement last night that the declaration covers every county in Alabama, and that heavy damage has been reported in some areas that were in the path of a suspected tornado. The governor says 100 Alabama National Guard members are on stand-by and are ready to help in impacted areas if necessary.
Security Gap
Microsoft says a security gap in Internet Explorer could allow an attacker to take complete control of a computer if the user clicks on a link to a malicious website. The vulnerability affects versions 6 through 11 of the Web browser. The company is working on a safety fix which it will provide in an upcoming software update.