Authorities say 47-year-old Stephen Newell of Savannah died after he swerved his vehicle to avoid an alligator and slammed head on into a Greyhound bus. The crash occurred about 10:45 p.m. Friday on Highway 170 in Jasper County.

The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued some severe weather advisories for some CSRA counties.

A pilot has died four days after his small plane crashed shortly after take-off in Jasper County. Coroner Martin Sauls III told The Island Packet of Hilton Head that 74-year-old James Parnell died Monday at a Savannah, Ga., hospital.

Friday, Governor Sonny Perdue issued an executive order declaring a state of emergency in four counties affected by severe weather that passed through Georgia on Wednesday evening. The counties are Hancock, Jasper, Thomas and Warren. The counties requested help from the state after determining that the removal of storm debris exceeded local capabilities.