Autauga County tornado victims identified following deadly Alabama storms

Seven people including four members of a family were identified as the victims of the devastating tornado that struck Autauga County on Thursday. The names were announced at the end of the day through authorities from the Autauga County Sheriff’s Office.

The fatalities occurred at Old Kingston, along Autauga County 140, which is located in the central region of the County. The victims range in age from 21 to 70 and include:

Robert Gardner Jr., 70 Robert Gardner Jr., 70, along with Deanna Marie Corbin who was 59, were killed on the 800 block Sandy Ridge Road. Gardner and Corbin resided in the same house.
Christopher Allen Corbin Jr. 46 Christopher Allen Corbin Jr., 46, along with Tessa Celeste Desmet, 21 were killed within the 1,000 block of Sandy Ridge Road. Corbin Jr. and Desmet resided in the same house. They were related to Robert Gardner Jr. and Deanna Corbin of their 800-block home.
Carmen Cox Autery, 59 died within the 1,000 block of Sandy Ridge Road.
Andrea Sue Taylor, 61 was reported missing on Thursday morning in the area of 800 blocks along County Road 140 and was located in the early morning of Friday morning.
Solomon Smith, 50, was killed in the 300 block of County Road 140. Smith’s mother, Stephanie Brown confirmed the death of Solomon Smith in an interview with AL.com on Friday. She also said her home, which is also located on Autauga County 140 was damaged. Brown confirmed that Smith’s stepson was injured and is in the hospital being cared for in the UAB Hospital.

Twelve people were badly injured enough to be transported to hospitals by emergency personnel, Autauga County EMA Director Ernie Baggett said on Friday.

Many homes in the area in Old Kingston, Posey’s Crossroads, White City and Marbury were destroyed or damaged by the storm in the area, according to the sheriff’s office. Along with Old Kingston and County Road 140 and County Road 140, there was significant damage to Autauga County 57 as well as on Autauga County 68 close to where it crosses U.S. 31.

At the time of writing, 13 tornadoes had been confirmed in Alabama during Thursday’s intense storms. The tornado in Autauga County was classified as an EF-3 as per the National Weather Service. The Autauga storm recorded winds up to 150 mph, the weather agency said.

The weather agency said that the storm surveys will continue throughout central Alabama. Cleaning and recovery efforts continue as are efforts to aid those affected by tornadoes.