The scene is one of the devastation and scale of destruction in areas of Mississippi hit by a tornado on Friday night. The storm wave, which hit other states, claimed at least 26 lives. The town of Rolling Fork, Mississippi was hardest hit and was nearly destroyed.
Rescue teams continued searching Sunday for victims of the deadly storm system that has devastated parts of Mississippi and Alabama as stunned residents tried to come to terms with the extent of the devastation, and officials warned more dangerous storms could be on the way.
Gov. Tate Reeves of Mississippi visited the “heartbreaking” damage in the hardhit community of Rolling Fork, a town of about 2,000 people that was leveled by a powerful tornado late Friday.
In Rolling Fork, Mississippi, where a tornado wreaked havoc and death, aid is being organized for the victims and volunteers are coming from nearby towns. Less than 24 hours after the tornado hit the city, the local Red Cross moved into a National Guard building. One room is used as an infirmary, an ambulance is parked at the entrance, and boxes full of granola bars or diapers keep arriving on the premises.
“We’re trying to give people a place to spend the night with food and medical care so they can rest because they’ve lost everything,” said John Brown, Red Cross manager for Alabama and Mississippi.
With just 2,000 people, Rolling Fork “feels like a war zone,” like “a bomb went off,” says the clerk. At least 25 people were killed in Mississippi as a result of the tornado’s impact, with up to 5 estimated to be in the EF4 category.
Search and rescue teams search for tornado victims in Rolling Fork, Mississippi, where at least 26 people were killed when an EF4 tornado struck the small town and other nearby communities Friday night | SCOTT OLSON/GETTY IMAGES/AFP/METSUL METEOROLOGIA
Aerial photo shows piles of debris where homes once stood before the EF4 tornado passed Rolling Fork, Mississippi on Friday | SCOTT OLSON/GETTY IMAGES/AFP/METSUL METEOROLOGIA
An EF4 category tornado swept through the small town of Rolling Fork, Mississippi, leaving only debris | SCOTT OLSON/GETTY IMAGES/AFP/METSUL METEOROLOGIA
US meteorologists had successively warned of tornadoes and warned of the possibility of severe storms with great destructive power in the area affected by the tornado wave on Friday night SCOTT OLSON/GETTY IMAGES/AFP/METSUL METEOROLOGIA
The violence of the tornado was so great that cars and trucks were lifted by the wind and were completely destroyed as the severe storm passed | SCOTT OLSON/GETTY IMAGES/AFP/METSUL METEOROLOGIA
Aerial photo taken by drone shows destruction was absolute at locations hit by passage of devastating tornado in Rolling Fork, Mississippi, United States | SCOTT OLSON/GETTY IMAGES/AFP/METSUL METEOROLOGIA
Authorities have designated the small town of Rolling Fork, Mississippi, as a “war zone” after Friday night’s powerful tornado (24) | SCOTT OLSON/GETTY IMAGES/AFP/METSUL METEOROLOGIA
The Rolling Fork, Mississippi disaster occurs during the time of year that marks tornado season, when the phenomenon is most common in the United States between the months of March and June | SCOTT OLSON/GETTY IMAGES/AFP/METSUL METEOROLOGIA
Aerial view of residential destruction in Rolling Fork. The wave of severe storms hit the states of Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee, including in the central and southeastern United States, with much destruction. | CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP/METSUL METEOROLOGY
Only the paving of the streets withstood the passage of the tornado in parts Rolling Fork with absolute destruction where the tornado passed Friday night | CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP/METSUL METEOROLOGY
The President of the United States signed a disaster declaration for the areas in the state of Mississippi hit by the devastating tornado | WILL NEWTON/GETTY IMAGES/AFP/METSUL METEOROLOGIA
A heartbroken resident of Rolling Fork sits among the ruins of what was once his home, destroyed by the tornado that swept through the state of Mississippi | WILL NEWTON/GETTY IMAGES/AFP/METSUL METEOROLOGIA
The US National Weather Service office in Jackson, Mississippi said late Saturday that the tornado that struck Rolling Fork received a preliminary EF4 rating. Like hurricanes and earthquakes, tornadoes are classified on a scale. The Enhanced Fujita or EF scale ranges from 0 to 5, and an EF4 rating is characterized by wind speeds near or above 300 km/h.