Strong thunderstorms toppled trees, knocked out power and damaged homes Friday across the South, while flooding in Kentucky forced evacuations and left a 2-year-old girl dead.

In Mississippi, fast-moving storms unleashed possible tornadoes, heavy rain and some hail. Power failures were reported in several communities, including near downtown Vicksburg and in Jackson.

"It was scary, I can tell you that," said Tate Moudy, a truck trailer salesman in Richland, Miss., one of the communities hit by the strong storms.

Moudy said the storm flipped a number of 18-wheelers parked outside and ripped away the sales office roof. He said employees stayed inside because of downed power lines.

Thousands of people were still without power Saturday from Friday's storms.

At least 90,000 customers of Entergy Mississippi lost power at some point Friday, mostly in and around Jackson, according to a company spokesman.

Out-of-state crews were being brought in to help but utility officials said it could be Monday before all the power is back on. A Louisiana utility hoped to have service restored by Saturday afternoon.

Authorities in Jackson said ambulances responded to at least 75 emergency calls in the area Friday night. More than 20 people were taken to hospitals.

Friday's storms knocked a tree onto a house in Jackson, hitting a gas line and sparking a huge fire, according to officials, reported WAPT-TV in Jackson.

No one was injured, but the house is a total loss, according to the home owner.

Storms Hit Alabama, Kentucky

Amid scattered damage in north Alabama, no injuries were reported, but forecasters issued a string of severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings through the evening. No touchdowns were confirmed.

School systems throughout the Birmingham area dismissed students ahead of a wave of storms Friday.

Falling trees struck several houses and a nursing home in Cullman, Ala., and authorities ordered an evacuation of everyone within a half-mile radius of a downtown area where a gas leak was reported. Workers contained the leak but feared fuel had reached the city's storm sewers.

Power was out throughout town, and officials urged the city's 14,000 residents to conserve water because the treatment plant couldn't operate.

In Kentucky, rivers and streams surged over their banks as rainfall reached a half-foot in some areas.

A western Kentucky toddler died after she and her mother became stuck in flood waters, reported WLKY-TV in Louisville, Ky.

Kentucky State Police said Kate Hearod of Hampton, Ky., died Friday morning at the Livingston County Hospital, about three hours after she and her mother became trapped in high water just south of Marion, Ky.

State police said Heather Hearod was southbound on Kentucky 855 around 5:30 a.m. when she drove into high waters and lost control of her vehicle.

She grabbed her daughter and got out of the vehicle, but the pair became separated as Hearod tried to reach higher ground.

The 2-year-old was pronounced dead at the Livingston County Hospital.