Tornadoes Cut Across Mississippi As Severe Storms Damage 500 Homes

JACKSON, Miss. — Powerful storms that included astatine slightest 3 tornadoes tore done respective Mississippi counties, damaging astir 500 homes, uprooting trees and injuring astatine slightest 17 people, authorities said Thursday.

There were nary contiguous reports of deaths aft nan storms trim crossed nan state’s southwest connected Wednesday night, said Scott Simmons, a spokesperson for nan Mississippi Emergency Management Agency.

He said 12 of those wounded were transported from nan Wash Trailer Park successful nan mini organization of Bogue Chitto successful Lincoln County. Video aft sunrise showed astir of nan mobile homes reduced to heaps of twisted metal, splintered boards and different debris for illustration crumpled refrigerators.

“I was conscionable watching TikTok connected my furniture and thought it was thunder. I went to my surviving room. I went backmost to my room, and nan room’s gone,” resident Max Mahaffey told WAPT-TV.

He said he wasn’t injured, but his grandma wounded her ankle and immoderate of his neighbors suffered cuts and bruises.

One intact trailer laic flipped connected its tile adjacent nan character line. Several cars, immoderate pinch hazard lights blinking, appeared to person been picked up by nan storm.

“We cognize location were astatine slightest 3 tornadoes,” said Daniel Lamb, a meteorologist successful nan National Weather Service agency successful Jackson.

“The aforesaid large wind produced astatine slightest 2 tornadoes from Franklin, Lincoln into Lawrence counties, and past location was different 1 from Lamar perchance into Forest County.”

He said location whitethorn person been more. “Those are conscionable nan ones that we are capable to corroborate by radar earlier moreover having gone down there.”

“Pray for Mississippi,” Gov. Tate Reeves posted online, saying nan authorities Emergency Management Agency was coordinating consequence efforts.

Many roads were still blocked successful Lincoln County and teams from nan agency were assessing nan damage.

“We inquire that you please refrain from sightseeing arsenic crews are working,” nan section posted early Thursday.

The politician said a unpaid rescue group was providing a 50-person shelter pod, a high-powered generator and 10 pallets of supplies to nan county, which reported astatine slightest 200 damaged homes.

Lamar County to nan southeast reported astir 275 homes damaged, according to nan authorities emergency guidance agency. Another 10 to 12 homes were damaged successful Lawrence County.

More storms were expected Thursday pinch nan anticipation of tornadoes crossed parts of Alabama, Georgia and Florida, nan upwind work said. Strong storms besides were imaginable for parts of nan Carolinas and Texas.