At least 23 dead in tornado and storms in Mississippi

At least 23 people have died after a tornado and strong storms hit the US state of Mississippi.

The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) said there were “dozens of injuries” and four people missing as search and rescue teams combed through the destruction for survivors after the storm hit Silver City in western Mississippi.

“Unfortunately, these numbers are expected to change,” he said, referring to the death toll.

Search and rescue operations were underway in Sharkey and Humphreys counties, about 70 miles (110 kilometers) north of the state capital, Jackson, according to broadcaster ABC.

“We have activated medical support, increasing more ambulances and other emergency resources for those affected. Search and rescue is active,” Governor Tate Reeves said on Twitter, warning residents to “watch weather reports and be cautious.”

The rural towns of Silver City and Rolling Fork reported destruction as the tornado moved northeast at 70 mph (113 kph) without weakening, moving toward Alabama through towns, including Winona and Amory, overnight.

Rolling Fork Mayor Eldridge Walker told CNN his town was virtually wiped out.

“My city is gone. But we are resilient and we are going to come back strong,” she said.

Al Jazeera’s Shihab Rattansi said the town of Rolling Fork, about half an hour southwest of Silver City, “really took a direct hit.”

“These are rural towns in the Mississippi Delta, a good proportion of mobile homes, a good proportion of people living below the poverty line, a huge devastation.

“When these extreme weather events occur at night, people are often not heeding the warnings, they are asleep and therefore could cause many more deaths,” he said.

“People are still trapped inside their homes with search and rescue operations underway.”

‘He went away’

The National Weather Service issued an advisory Friday night as the storm hit that didn’t mince words: “To protect your life, TAKE COVER NOW!”

“You are in a situation that endangers your life,” he warned. “Flying debris can be deadly for those caught without shelter. Mobile homes will be destroyed. Considerable damage to homes, businesses and vehicles is likely, and total destruction is possible.”

Television footage showed flattened houses and rubble strewn across roads as emergency services tried to reach those who needed help.

“As for the official damage numbers, we’re not going to have that until morning time of day,” said MEMA’s Malary White.

“Our top priority right now, especially for local first responders, is the safety of people’s lives and responsibility and making sure they’re safe,” he told CBS News affiliate WJTV.

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 the Vicksburg News. Some law enforcement units were not found in Sharkey, according to the newspaper.

According to poweroutage.us, 40,000 customers lost power in Tennessee; 15,000 customers lost power in Mississippi; and 20,000 lost power in Alabama.

Rolling Fork and the surrounding area have vast expanses of cotton, corn and soybean fields and catfish ponds. Emergency officials have opened more than half a dozen shelters in the state.

This was a supercell, the kind of nasty storm that spawns the deadliest tornado and the most damaging hail in the United States, Northern Illinois University meteorology professor Walker Ashley said. Also, this was a night one, which is “the worst,” he said.

Forecasters saw a high tornado risk for the region in general, not the specific area, up to a week in advance, said Ashley, who was discussing it with colleagues on March 17. The National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center put out a long-range warning for the area on March 19, she said.

Tornado warnings were issued for several counties across the state on Friday, but at 2:48 a.m. (0748 GMT) Saturday, the Jackson National Weather Service said the “tornado watch has expired in our area of forecast”.

“Additional showers and thunderstorms are expected in our area,” he said on Twitter, adding that they were “not expected to become severe.”

In January, at least seven people died in Alabama and Georgia after a massive storm system Whipping strong winds and spawning tornadoes hit some southern states of the United States.

Last month, a series of tornadoes ripped through the central US, leaving a trail of debris and injuries as winter storms cause extreme weather conditions across the country.