At least 23 people have been killed after a tornado and severe storms swept through the US state of Mississippi.
The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) said there were “dozens injured” and four people missing as search and rescue teams combed through the devastation for survivors after the storm hit Silver City in western Mississippi.
“Unfortunately, these numbers are expected to change,” it said, referring to the death toll.
Search and rescue operations were underway in Sharkey and Humphreys counties, about 110 km (70 miles) north of the state capital Jackson, according to broadcaster ABC.
“We have activated medical support – more ambulances and other emergency resources for those affected. Search and rescue is active,” Governor Tate Reeves said on Twitter, warning residents to “check weather reports and remain cautious.”
The rural towns of Silver City and Rolling Fork reported destruction as the tornado raced northeastward at 70 mph (113 km/h) without weakening, and raced toward Alabama through towns, including Winona and Amory, into the night.
Rolling Fork Mayor Eldridge Walker told CNN his city was essentially wiped out.
“My city has disappeared. But we are resilient and we will come back strong,” he said.
Al Jazeera’s Shihab Rattansi said the town of Rolling Fork, about half an hour southwest of Silver City, “really took a hit.”
“These are rural towns in the Mississippi Delta, a lot of mobile homes, a lot of people living below the poverty line, huge devastation.
“When these extreme weather events happen in the evening, people often don’t hear the warnings, they’re asleep, and that’s why there could be a lot more fatalities,” he said.
“People are still trapped in their homes while search and rescue operations are underway.”
Debris covers a damaged building in Rolling Fork, Mississippi (Rogelio Solis/AP Photo)
‘It’s gone’
The National Weather Service issued a warning Friday night as the storm hit that didn’t mince words: “To protect your life, TAKE COVER NOW!”
“You are in a life-threatening situation,” it warned. “Flying debris can kill those caught without shelter. Mobile homes will be destroyed. Significant damage to homes, businesses and vehicles is likely and complete destruction is possible.”
TV footage showed homes being razed and debris scattered on roads as emergency services tried to reach those in need.
“As for the official damage numbers, we don’t get those until daylight in the morning,” said MEMA’s Malary White.
“Our number one priority right now, especially for the local first responders, is the safety of life and holding the people accountable and making sure they are safe,” she told CBS News affiliate WJTV.
The Sharkey-Issaquena Community Hospital on the west side of Rolling Fork was damaged, WAPT reported.
The Sharkey County Sheriff’s Office in Rolling Fork reported gas leaks and people trapped in piles of rubble, according to Vicksburg News. According to the newspaper, some law enforcement units went missing in Sharkey.
According to poweroutage.us, 40,000 customers were without power in Tennessee; 15,000 customers were without power in Mississippi; and 20,000 were without power in Alabama.
Rolling Fork and the surrounding area have extensive cotton, corn, and soybean fields and ponds for raising catfish. More than half a dozen shelters were opened across the state by emergency services.
This was a supercell, the nasty type of storm that produces the deadliest tornado and most damaging hail in the United States, said University of Northern Illinois University meteorology professor Walker Ashley. What’s more, this was a night that is “the worst kind,” he said.
Meteorologists saw a major tornado risk coming for the general region a week in advance, not the specific area, said Ashley, who discussed it with his colleagues as early as March 17. a long-range warning for the area on March 19, he said.
Tornado warnings had been issued in several counties across the state on Friday, but at 2:48 a.m. (07:48 GMT) Saturday, the National Weather Service for Jackson said the “tornado watch has expired in our forecast area.”
“Additional rain and thunderstorms are expected in our area,” it said on Twitter, adding that it was “not expected to become severe.”
In January, at least seven people were killed in Alabama and Georgia after a massive storm system of strong winds and tornadoes hit some southern states of the United States.
Last month, a series of tornadoes swept through the middle of the US, leaving a trail of wreckage and injuries as winter storms brought extreme weather across the country.
