Tornadoes left a swath of devastation through Mississippi on Friday night along a path of at least 170 miles. At least 24 people have been killed and more than 100,00 have been left without power in the wake of the natural disaster.
Summary
Tornadoes left a swath of devastation through Mississippi on Friday night along a path of at least 170 miles. At least 24 people have been killed and more than 100,00 have been left without power in the wake of the natural disaster.
- The tornado damaged rural areas approximately 60 miles northeast of Jackson, the Mississippi state capital. Most of the deaths from the storm occurred in Mississippi, along with one death over the state line in Alabama.
- Rolling Fork, population 1,700, was the hardest-hit community. The tornados also struck the town of Silver City, population 200. The storms have left hundreds without shelter and at least four people are still missing.
- President Joe Biden called the storms “heartbreaking” and pledged to provide support for the affected communities. “We will be there as long as it takes,” Biden said.
- FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell told CNN first responders in Mississippi “still are in a life-saving, life-sustaining mode.” FEMA teams are headed to Mississippi to coordinate the emergency response.
- NBC News noted 23 of the 24 confirmed dead were in Mississippi, with most deaths occurring in the town of Rolling Fork. Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves has declared a state of emergency in all of the affected counties.
- The New York Times warned the South could face even more severe weather on Sunday. The National Weather Service raised the risk of severe weather in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama to “enhanced,” which is the third category on the five-level scale.
- Fox News published footage captured by aerial drones that illustrated the sheer scale of the devastation. The videos show residential and commercial buildings that were damaged during the storm’s hour-long rampage.
- According to National Review, more than 126,000 people have been left without power in Mississippi, Tennessee and Alabama since Saturday morning.
- The New York Post reported the casualty toll could yet rise as local and state search and rescue teams are still searching the rubble across the wrecked areas of rural Mississippi. “What we found was devastation all around us,” Rolling Fork Mayor Eldridge Walker said.
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© Dominic Moore, 2023
