(MOBILE, Ala.) -
The American Red Cross says its office in Mobile suffered heavy damage and three of its disaster trailers there were destroyed by storms that ripped across southern Alabama.
Red Cross officials say that despite "significant" damage to the office, they are still able to use it and were working to assist others in the Mobile area in the storm's aftermath.
8:58 a.m.Authorities say 18,000 are without power following last night's storms; 8,600 of those are in Mobile County.
Alabama Power says there are reports coming in of broken poles, and downed power lines.
Alabama Power spokeswoman Keisa Sharpe-Johnson says the outages were spread across the state, with about 8,600 in the hard-hit Mobile area. About 7,900 outages were in the western part of the state, which included Tuscaloosa, Jasper and Haleyville.
For safety purposes, Alabama Power officials urge the public to stay away from power lines on the ground.
Local 15 News will have an update when more information becomes available.
