Devastation has struck the Mississippi Delta region, as the area was hit by powerful tornadoes on Friday night, leaving at least 23 dead and dozens injured.
The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency reported that 13 people were confirmed dead in Sharkey County with Rolling Fork taking the worst hit. One person was killed in Silver City in Humphreys County and two children were critically injured after being trapped in a home.
Eleven tornadoes were reported across Mississippi and Alabama in the past 24 hours, including the storms that struck Rolling Fork and Silver City. The deadliest tornado touched down around 9 p.m., and traveled northeast at 70 mph without weakening.
Storm chaser Jordan Hall revealed the extent of the storm’s destruction, with the landscape littered with heaps of splintered building fragments, mangled cars and tractor-trailers. The Sharkey-Issaquena Community Hospital on the west side of the Rolling Fork sustained damage and gas leaks, with reports of people trapped in piles of rubble.
Over 80,000 customers were left without power in Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee. Gov. Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves reported that 23 Mississippians were killed and many more injured. Search and rescue teams are still active and shelters opened by emergency officials.
Two passengers were killed in southwestern Missouri, and a woman was missing after flash flooding from a small river washed her car off the road.
The tragedy of the Mississippi Delta region has left a trail of destruction and broken lives in its wake. Search and rescue teams are still actively finding survivors, with many of whom are still missing and unaccounted for. As the region begins the long road to recovery, the people of Mississippi and beyond have come together to offer support in this time of need.