Deadly tornado outbreak devastates towns across Mississippi
At least 25 people died and dozens were injured when large tornadoes swept across the southeast Friday night.
At least 25 people died, dozens were injured and multiple towns saw devastating damage when large, nighttime tornadoes ripped across nearly the entire width of the state of Mississippi and into Alabama on Friday, March 24.
A preliminary report from the National Weather Service in Jackson, Mississippi states the first tornado, which hit Rolling Fork and Silver City, Mississippi, was an EF4 with a maximum width of three-quarters of a mile. It lasted around 70 minutes, with a path length of approximately 59 miles. A second tornado – an EF3 – touched down less than five minutes after the EF4 ended; this one with a preliminary maximum width of one-half mile and a path length of just under 29 miles. A third tornado reported by the National Weather Service touched down about an hour after the second – this one also an EF3, with a maximum width of nine-tenths of a mile and a path length of 36.9 miles. Several smaller twisters also spawned from the storm.
In addition to Rolling Rock and Silver City, other towns in Mississippi that took hits from these massive tornados included Blackhawk, Winona, Egypt and Amory.
Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves declared a state of emergency on Saturday, March 25. In a press conference in Rolling Fork on Saturday, Reeves emphasized the wide-reaching affect of the storm on the state.
“This particular tornado started here in Rolling Fork and, really, the bad wave of storms did not leave our state until literally the northeast corner up in Monroe County,” the governor said. “And so what you’re going to see… is a significant amount of damage in a lot of different communities, and right here in Rolling Fork is certainly ground zero.”
Search and rescue efforts are ongoing.