'Everything is gone': Terrible tornado tears across America's Mississippi
A monster tornado cut a devastating path through Mississippi, killing at least 25 people, injuring dozens, and flattening entire blocks. Rescuers now struggle to search for survivors and help the homeless in the area
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A monster tornado has wreaked destruction and chaos in one of the poorest regions of the United States – Mississippi. The storm has killed at least 26 people and reduced the town to mere rubble. AP
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The town of Rolling Fork, where 20 per cent of residents live below the poverty line, was virtually flattened with Eldridge Walker, the mayor, telling US media, “My city has gone.” Reuters
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Search and recovery crews have begun the daunting task of digging through flattened and battered homes, commercial buildings and municipal offices after hundreds of people were displaced. The storm hit so quickly that the sheriff’s department in Rolling Fork barely had time to set off sirens to warn the community of 2,000 residents, said Mayor Eldridge Walker. Reuters
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President Joe Biden issues an emergency declaration for Mississippi early Sunday, and assured the area of all help possible. Mississippi governor Tate Reeves also told the media, “Help is on the way.” AP
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According to an Associated Press report, about 100 buildings have been damaged, with at least 30 uninhabitable. Many roads, including Interstate Highway 85, are blocked by debris, making it difficult for recovery and help efforts. AP
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The powerful tornadoes spawned from a storm that carved a ferocious path northeastward across Mississippi and parts of Alabama at 80mph, according to AccuWeather. AP
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US president Joe Biden said that he and First Lady Jill Biden are ‘praying for those who have lost loved ones in the devastating tornadoes in Mississippi and those whose loved ones are missing.’ AP
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Shelters have been opened in Mississippi for people forced from their homes by the monster storm. Residents of the area are wondering about their recovery. “It’s going to be a long road to recovery, trying to rebuild and get over the devastation,” said Wayne Williams, who teaches construction skills at a vocational education centre in Rolling Fork. AP
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Trees have been uprooted, trucks have overturned into houses and power lines have been brought down by the tornado - classified as “violent” and given the second-highest rating possible. AP
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The tornado has been called the deadliest in the state of Mississippi in more than a decade. AP
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The governor said it had been “heartbreaking” to see the loss and devastation caused by the twister, but said he was “damn proud to be a Mississippian” after seeing how locals had responded. AP
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Rodney Porter, who lives about 32 kilometres south of Rolling Fork and belongs to a local fire department, said he didn’t know how anyone survived as he delivered water and fuel to families there. “It’s like a bomb went off,” he said, describing houses stacked on top of houses. Crews even cut gas lines to the town to keep residents and first responders safe. AP
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