At least 23 killed after powerful tornado ripped through Mississippi
Millions are on alert for tornadoes, damaging winds and flooding.
A deadly tornado and strong thunderstorms swept across Mississippi late Friday, killing at least 23 people and leaving a trail of destruction for more than 100 miles, local and federal authorities said.
Search and rescue operations were underway in Sharkey and Humphreys counties, Mississippi’s Emergency Management Agency said Friday. The agency issued a series of tornado warnings in counties throughout the state.
Debris from a tornado covers a damaged structure, March 25, 2023, in Rolling Fork, Miss.
“Many in the MS Delta need your prayer and God’s protection tonight,” Gov. Tate Reeves said on Twitter. “We have activated medical support — surging more ambulances and other emergency assets for those affected. Search and rescue is active.”
Dozens of injuries have been reported, the state emergency agency said on Twitter. Four people have been reported .
Thirteen people died in Sharkey County, coroner Angelia Easton told ABC News. Jose Watson, a Mississippi Highway Patrol trooper, said one person died in Silver City, in Humphreys County.
Law-enforcement officers climb through the debris of a diner looking for survivors early Saturday, Mar. 25, 2023, in Rolling Fork, Miss.
As thunderstorms battered the state late Friday, a tornado was reported at about 8:50 p.m. local time in the area of Silver City and Rolling Fork, the National Weather Service said.
Rolling Fork was “pretty much devastated,” United Cajun Navy President Todd Terrell told ABC News.
From there, the tornado rolled on to the northwest side of Tchula and along Highway 49, officials said.
A tree is downed in a still from a WTVA video shot in Amory, Mississippi, as thunderstorms and a tornado swept through the state on Friday, March 24th.
A Tornado Emergency alert was issued for Winona, a city about 100 lmiles northeast of Rolling Fork, with a “destructive tornado moving northeast through town,” NWS official said.
Damage is seen in Rolling Fork, Mississippi, in the aftermath of a March 23, 2023, tornado in a still from a video shot by WAPT.
WAPT
Storm chaser Edgar O’Neal, who was on the ground in Rolling Fork, said the tornado caused “complete and utter devastation.”
“Houses gone. Gas stations destroyed. Trees, power lines blocking entrances everywhere. Stray animals. People wandering the streets clearly in shock. We saw lot of first responders as well. Lots of people out there in the community helping, police, fire, rescue, other storm chasers. There were a lot of people on the ground helping,” O’Neal said in an interview on “GMA.”
Jourdan Hartshorn, Mississippi coordinator for the United Cajun Navy, told ABC News the devastation in Rolling Fork reminded him of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, saying most of the buildings were damaged or destroyed, apart from some facilities on the outskirts of town.
“It’s bad out here,” Hartshorn said. “It’s literally devastation. Ground Zero.”
He assisted in search and rescue operations, which uncovered more bodies.
“I hate to say it … deceased people left and right,” he said. “I’m from Mississippi, in the lower end, where hurricanes come in and this is what it looks like. I mean, it looks like ground zero after Katrina.”
Source: nbc news
At least 23 killed after powerful tornado ripped through Mississippi
Millions are on alert for tornadoes, damaging winds and flooding.
A deadly tornado and strong thunderstorms swept across Mississippi late Friday, killing at least 23 people and leaving a trail of destruction for more than 100 miles, local and federal authorities said.
Search and rescue operations were underway in Sharkey and Humphreys counties, Mississippi’s Emergency Management Agency said Friday. The agency issued a series of tornado warnings in counties throughout the state.
Debris from a tornado covers a damaged structure, March 25, 2023, in Rolling Fork, Miss.
“Many in the MS Delta need your prayer and God’s protection tonight,” Gov. Tate Reeves said on Twitter. “We have activated medical support — surging more ambulances and other emergency assets for those affected. Search and rescue is active.”
Dozens of injuries have been reported, the state emergency agency said on Twitter. Four people have been reported .
Thirteen people died in Sharkey County, coroner Angelia Easton told ABC News. Jose Watson, a Mississippi Highway Patrol trooper, said one person died in Silver City, in Humphreys County.
Law-enforcement officers climb through the debris of a diner looking for survivors early Saturday, Mar. 25, 2023, in Rolling Fork, Miss.
As thunderstorms battered the state late Friday, a tornado was reported at about 8:50 p.m. local time in the area of Silver City and Rolling Fork, the National Weather Service said.
Rolling Fork was “pretty much devastated,” United Cajun Navy President Todd Terrell told ABC News.
From there, the tornado rolled on to the northwest side of Tchula and along Highway 49, officials said.
A tree is downed in a still from a WTVA video shot in Amory, Mississippi, as thunderstorms and a tornado swept through the state on Friday, March 24th.
A Tornado Emergency alert was issued for Winona, a city about 100 lmiles northeast of Rolling Fork, with a “destructive tornado moving northeast through town,” NWS official said.
Damage is seen in Rolling Fork, Mississippi, in the aftermath of a March 23, 2023, tornado in a still from a video shot by WAPT.
WAPT
Storm chaser Edgar O’Neal, who was on the ground in Rolling Fork, said the tornado caused “complete and utter devastation.”
“Houses gone. Gas stations destroyed. Trees, power lines blocking entrances everywhere. Stray animals. People wandering the streets clearly in shock. We saw lot of first responders as well. Lots of people out there in the community helping, police, fire, rescue, other storm chasers. There were a lot of people on the ground helping,” O’Neal said in an interview on “GMA.”
Jourdan Hartshorn, Mississippi coordinator for the United Cajun Navy, told ABC News the devastation in Rolling Fork reminded him of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, saying most of the buildings were damaged or destroyed, apart from some facilities on the outskirts of town.
“It’s bad out here,” Hartshorn said. “It’s literally devastation. Ground Zero.”
He assisted in search and rescue operations, which uncovered more bodies.
“I hate to say it … deceased people left and right,” he said. “I’m from Mississippi, in the lower end, where hurricanes come in and this is what it looks like. I mean, it looks like ground zero after Katrina.”
Source: nbc news
