Nine dead in wake of Thursday's tornadoes as search for more victims continues

Jan. 13 (UPI) -- At least nine people are dead and recovery efforts are ongoing a day after scores of tornadoes raked the Deep South.

Seven people were killed in central Alabama's Autauga County and two others were killed in Georgia on Thursday. At least 37 tornadoes have been reported as the storms ripped roofs off of homes and sent debris flying.

Searches continued Friday in Autauga County as officials still weren't sure everyone who may have lived in damaged homes was accounted for, state emergency management official Ricky Adams told CNN Friday.

A tornado that ripped through Selma was rated an EF-2, meaning it packed winds of at least 111 mph. Neighboring Autauga County was hit by an EF-3 tornado, meaning wind gusts of at least 136 mph.

The damage "was far worse than anything I had envisioned," Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey said while visiting Selma Friday. "Roofs are just gone, trees look like toothpicks."

On Thursday Ivey declared a state of emergency for the six counties of Autauga, Chambers, Coosa, Dallas, Elmore and Tallapoosa.

"I am sad to have learned that six Alabamians were lost to the storms that ravaged across our state," she said in a statement. "My prayers are with their loved ones and communities. We are far too familiar with devastating weather, but our people are resilient.

Ivey has also said that she will reach out to President Joe Biden and encourage him to declare a state of emergency in the region.

Council members for the hard-hit city of Selma held a Thursday night emergency meeting on the sidewalk by city hall and agreed to earmark $2 million from the budget surplus for disaster recovery. Some council members were unable to attend the meeting, officials said, due to their homes incurring extensive damage.