The storm left a trail of devastation in its wake, with the cities of Silver City and Rolling Fork particularly hard hit. Mississippi is considered the poorest state in the USA.
The death toll from the devastating tornado in the southern United States has risen to at least 26. According to civil protection, 25 people were killed and dozens were injured in the poorest US state, Mississippi alone, and according to reports from the media, at least one person died in neighboring Alabama. The head of the national civil protection agency FEMA, Deanne Criswell, and the Minister of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, wanted to visit the affected region on Sunday. The weather service warned of more violent storms.
At least one tornado swept through Mississippi on Friday night (local time) and multiple thunderstorms raged in the region. The tornado caused devastation in Silver City and Rolling Fork in particular. Roofs were torn off houses, trees uprooted and power lines damaged. Some parts of the city were almost razed to the ground. “We will do everything we can to help,” promised US President Joe Biden in view of the “moving” photos from Mississippi.
The tornado hit Rolling Fork around 8 p.m. Friday, Lance Perrilloux of the National Weather Service told NPR. He then left a trail of destruction over a distance of over 270 kilometers in a good hour. “This is one of the rarest tornadoes we’ve seen in Mississippi history based on longevity and strength over a period of time,” Perrilloux said. At least one other, weaker tornado may have hit the state, but this is yet to be confirmed.
Hail the size of eggs
For Sunday, the weather service warned of severe hail storms that could reach the size of chicken eggs. Other tornadoes and wind gusts with speeds greater than 110 kilometers per hour are also possible. Meteorologists assume that the storms will only weaken in the evening and will likely be followed by isolated showers.
Mississippi is considered the poorest state in the USA, which is why these disasters hit people there especially. Reconstruction can take many years. About 2,000 people lived in the almost completely destroyed small town of Rolling Fork – many of them in converted caravans. Much of the population lives below the country’s poverty line.
“My city is gone. But we will be resilient and come back,” the city’s mayor, Eldridge Walker, told US television on Saturday. When the storm warning came, he and his wife took shelter in their home’s bathtub. Now your city offers an image of “complete devastation”.
(APA)