Mississippi suffers aftermath from fatal EF-4 tornado while more than 20 million in the South are under serious storm threats Sunday
More than 20 million people in the South and parts of the Midwest are at risk for severe storms on Sunday as Mississippi cleans up after storms that spawned fatal tornadoes.
Several storm cycles are expected throughout the day, with portions of Alabama and Georgia anticipating morning storms that could produce significant hail. Moreover, there is a higher probability of severe storms in several areas of Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi.
Residents in the Southeast are still in shock as a result of the severe storms and tornadoes that tore through the area on Friday night, killing at least 26 people and injuring hundreds more. According to officials, the storms almost completely destroyed several neighborhoods and left thousands without power.
Many National Weather Service locations reported that at least 10 tornadoes struck Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee.
Early on Sunday morning, President Joe Biden gave his approval to a disaster designation for counties in Mississippi, directing the federal government to provide aid for the recovery operations in the areas hit by the powerful storms, straight-line winds, and tornadoes that swept the state.
According to a statement from the White House, assistance “may include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property damages, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the consequences of the disaster.”
While this is happening, more storms with the potential to produce very large hail, tornadoes, and strong winds are forecast to develop across parts of eastern Texas on Sunday afternoon before moving into Louisiana, Mississippi, and eventually Alabama through the afternoon and evening.
The Storm Prediction Center has rated parts of eastern Louisiana, south-central Mississippi, and south-central Alabama as having a Level 3 out of 5 danger for severe storms. Together with Montgomery and Prattville in Alabama, the vulnerable area also includes Jackson, Hattiesburg, and Meridian in Mississippi.
The main concern from any supercell should be large to very large hail, according to the Storm Prediction Center. The possibility of damaging winds and a few tornadoes is also indicated.
By Sunday afternoon, the storms will move eastward into the Carolinas, where they could produce damaging gusts. Parts of central Illinois and Indiana are also somewhat at risk for severe storms.
Shanta Howard, a resident of Rolling Folk, Mississippi, revealed to CNN affiliate WAPT that when a tornado walloped her town, she prayed, “Lord, I don’t want to die.”
According to NWS Meteorologist Bill Parker, the EF-4 tornado that struck Rolling Fork overnight destroyed much of the town. The tornado’s highest winds were believed to have been 170 miles per hour.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration states that EF-4 and EF-5 tornadoes are “violent,” exceedingly rare, and only account for around 1% of all tornadoes. On April 19, 2020, Mississippi was struck by the last EF-4 tornado.
Drone footage from early Saturday morning showed homes entirely demolished and reduced to piles of wood, as well as vehicles thrown about and trees splintered.
Rolling Fork, a community with fewer than 2,000 inhabitants, is led by Eldridge Walker, who claims that his “city is gone.”
“The police force is in ruins. It is destroyed, city hall. The county courthouse has been hurt. The fire department is in terrible shape. According to US Representative Bennie Thompson, there isn’t a functioning grocery shop in the neighborhood.
The only hospital in the area was shut down on Saturday, and the injured were being taken to a facility more than 50 miles away as search and rescue operations continued, according to Thompson.
Sharkey County supervisor Jessie Mason stated, “We have been uncovering multiple casualties.” It’s just a never-ending process, and there is a long road ahead.
Vice mayor of Rolling Fork LaDonna Sias detailed the harrowing moments when locals of the small hamlet took refuge from the catastrophic tornado in bathtubs, closets, and under pillows as the storm raged outside.
Stepping outside to watch homes being demolished and hear people screaming, Sias recalled, “it seemed like forever until that sounds ended.” The tornado obliterated Sias’ own house.
She described it as “just completely terrible.” “Something like this can be replaced, even though we lost everything. Losing a loved one was merely heartbreaking, Sias added; material things can be replaced.
The National Weather Service in Jackson has assigned a preliminary EF-3 rating to another report of a tornado that passed near Blackhawk in Carroll County and Winona in Montgomery County, Mississippi, overnight into Saturday.
According to Carroll County coroner Mark Stiles, three people perished in a single residence, and it appears that a tornado was to blame for their deaths.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s administrator, Deanne Criswell, told CNN that the organization has deployed a team to the state to assist with immediate needs and make long-term recovery plans.
As we seek to ensure that no additional lives are lost, Criswell added, “we want to make sure that the state has everything that they need.”
The impacted residents of Carroll, Humphreys, Monroe, and Sharkey counties will now have access to federal assistance as a result of Biden’s approval, according to a statement from the White House.
In addition, when Friday night gave way to Saturday, the storm system had an effect on northern Alabama and south-central Tennessee.
According to Brandy Davis, director of Morgan County Emergency Management, an Alabama man who was trapped inside his mobile home died.
According to the Huntsville office of the National Weather Service, at least three tornadoes were reported in northern Alabama. Just north of the Tennessee-Alabama line, an EF-2 tornado also made landfall close to Fayetteville, Tennessee. Over the next few days, additional storm surveys will be performed.
