Alabama, Georgia communities devastated by tornadoes survey damage

Tornadoes, hail and powerful thunderstorms ripped through the mid-South on Thursday night, killing at least five people and destroying hundreds of homes.
 
To the southwest of Atlanta, the city of Newnan was described by social media users as a "war zone" in the aftermath of the severe weather that felled trees, downed power lines and tore off roofs.

State troopers told FOX 5 Atlanta that one Georgia man had died from a heart attack during the storm.

In Alabama, one of as many as eight tornadoes traveled about 100 miles across the state and rescuers searched Birmingham's Eagle Point community through the evening. 

A Centreville, Alabama, family and their neighbors who had taken refuge in an underground storm pit were temporarily trapped after a fallen tree obstructed the shelter door, the Associated Press reported. 

The city's mayor, Mike Oakley, told ABC 33/40 news that airplanes at a local airport had been "torn apart like toys."

The Weather Channel reported on Friday that a Florence, Alabama, police officer had been struck by lightning while putting out barricades on a roadway Thursday afternoon. A news release later said he was conscious and responsive.