Storm Weakens Over Alabama, Leaving 8 Dead

Tropical Storm Juan faded into rain showers over Alabama on Friday, leaving behind an estimated $1 billion in damage on the Gulf Coast and eight people dead.

Seven people were still missing, six in Louisiana, where Gov. Edwin W. Edwards toured flood-damaged areas by helicopter and said the storm caused more damage to the state than any storm in its history.

Louisiana, which took the worst beating from the late-season storm, was declared a disaster area by President Reagan, making federal funds available for relief and recovery.

Five Days of Rain

The storm built up to hurricane strength last Sunday and lashed the coastal areas of Louisiana with five days of destructive rain. It pulled back into the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday, lost some strength and hit the Alabama coast as a tropical storm.

It was downgraded to a low-pressure system as it moved through northern Alabama on Friday, and the National Weather Service stopped issuing advisories on it.

By noon Friday, the storm’s remnants had passed over northern Alabama and Tennessee, and the system headed north-northeast, where meteorologist Mark Murphy said it will “continue providing rainfall until it moves off the New England coast or eastern Canada.”