Rolling Fork, Mississippi.- Aid began pouring into one of America’s poorest regions after a deadly tornado ripped a path of destruction for more than an hour across a large swath of Mississippi, even as furious new storms ripped through the county on Sunday. deep south.
At least 25 people died and dozens more were injured in the state of Mississippi when a huge storm swept through more than half a dozen cities on Friday night. A man also died in Alabama after his mobile home flipped over multiple times.
“Everything I can see is in some state of destruction,” said Jarrod Kunze, who drove from his Alabama home to the hard-hit Mississippi town of Rolling Fork, ready to help “in whatever capacity is needed.”
Kunze was among the volunteers working this Sunday in a staging area, where bottled water and other supplies are collected for distribution.
Search and recovery teams resumed the daunting task of digging through collapsed and battered homes, commercial buildings and municipal offices after hundreds of people were displaced.
The storm hit so fast that the Rolling Fork sheriff’s department barely had time to sound its sirens to warn the community of 2,000 residents, Mayor Eldridge Walker said.
“And by the time they activated the siren, the storm had hit and knocked over the siren that is located right here,” Walker said, referring to an area just a few blocks from downtown.
The mayor said that his city was devastated.
“Sharkey County, Mississippi, is one of the poorest counties in the state of Mississippi, but we are still resilient,” he said. “We have a long way to go, and we certainly thank everyone for their prayers and all they will or can do for this community.”
President Joe Biden issued an emergency declaration for Mississippi early Sunday morning, making federal funds available to hard-hit areas.
“Help is on the way,” Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said at a news conference with local, state and federal leaders.
Recovery efforts in Mississippi were underway even as the National Weather Service warned of a new risk of more severe weather Sunday, including high winds, hail and possible tornadoes in Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.
A tornado touched down early today in Troup County, Georgia, near the Alabama border, according to the Georgia Self Aid Group. The affected areas included the county seat of LaGrange, about 108 kilometers southwest of Atlanta.
About 100 buildings were damaged, with at least 30 uninhabitable, and five people suffered minor injuries, authorities said. Many roads, including Interstate 85, were blocked by debris.
Two tigers briefly escaped their enclosures at Wild Animal Safari in Pine Mountain, Georgia, after the park suffered extensive damage from a tornado. “Both have now been found, tranquilized and safely returned to a secure compound,” the park said on Facebook. None of his employees or animals were injured, he said.
