1 dead, 2 injured as storms, possible tornados hit South

CHRISTIANA, Tenn. -- Severe storms sweeping across the South on Tuesday killed a person and injured at least two others, knocking down trees and leaving thousands without power, officials said. The weather disrupted Election Day voting in some places, forcing citizens to use paper ballots instead of electronic voting machines.

In Tennessee, crews responded to a collapsed home where one person was confirmed dead, Rutherford County EMS spokesman Patrick Miller told news outlets. He said two others were injured when a nearby mobile home rolled over.

Possible tornadoes touched down in Tennessee, Louisiana and Mississippi, felling tree limbs and power lines and prompting some schools to delay the start of classes. In northeast Alabama near the Tennessee line, the National Weather Service said an apparent tornado damaged barns and smaller buildings, but no injuries were reported.

Tennessee coordinator of elections Mark Goins said the polling places that had electricity knocked out operated on generators and have emergency ballots ready for voters. He said the paper ballots would be counted Tuesday. He said the largest area of power outages was in Knox County, where nearly 20,000 customers remained without power Tuesday morning.

In West Virginia, storms caused two voting precincts to open a little late but didn't cause any lasting problems.

Danny and Dennis McDonald, with D's Electric, remove hallway lighting inside Generations Senior Living on Tuesday after it sustained major roof damage by a possible tornado late Monday night in Tupelo, Mississippi.Adam Robison ~ The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal via AP

West Virginia Secretary of State's spokesman Michael Queen said 14 precincts were without power at 5 a.m., but the office worked with several state and local agencies to put generators into place or to move precinct locations. He said polling places without power used generators until electricity was restored so no paper ballots were necessary.

Officials say crews are working to restore power to thousands of residents from Louisiana to South Carolina.

Parts of Tupelo were closed off late Monday as debris, downed trees and power lines blocked roadways, the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal reported. Tupelo communications director Leesha Faulkner said there was also a gas leak in a residential area.

In Rutherford County, Fire and Rescue spokeswoman Lisa Sloan said crews responded to a house blaze early Tuesday that appears to have started from a lightning strike. She said there was heavy damage, but no injuries.

Possible tornadoes were also reported in Natchitoches Parish in Louisiana on Monday afternoon.

This follows severe storms that were blamed for two deaths in the Gulf Coast area last week.