Tornado hits central Mississippi, killing at least 1

MISSISSIPPI, United States - At least one person was killed and 19 were injured after a tornado slammed central Mississippi overnight and destroyed up to 30 structures, the authorities said.

A tornado struck the town of Louin, about 110km east of Jackson, around 11.30pm local time on Sunday, said Mr Eric Carpenter, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Jackson.

Mr Carpenter said it was possible that multiple tornadoes had hit the area overnight, but that survey crews were assessing the damage on Monday morning.

Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves said on Twitter that another tornado had hit the city of Moss Point, in the southern part of the county. “Please take caution,” he said.

No injuries or deaths had been reported, Moss Point Mayor Billy Knight, Sr said in an interview.

Eight people were trapped inside a bank after its roof collapsed, but all of them had been rescued and were not injured, he said, adding that a church, high school and part of a baseball stadium had also sustained significant damage.

“We’ve got a lot of devastation,” Mr Knight said. “The step now is that we’re making sure all our people are safe.”

Several of the city’s roads were “impassable due to standing water, downed trees, and power lines”, the Moss Point Police Department said on Facebook.

Killed in the earlier tornado in Louin was Mr George Jean Hayes, 67, who was transported from Jasper County to the Southern Central Regional Medical Center in Laurel, according to Mr Don Sumrall, the Jones County coroner.

That tornado damaged between 20 and 30 structures, according to Mr Randy Johnson, the sheriff in Jasper County, which covers Louin.

“We had some mobile homes totally destroyed. Roofs off houses,” Mr Johnson said, adding, “You know, just what you’d expect out of a strong tornado.”

Most of the people with injuries at a medical centre in Laurel were in stable condition or had been discharged from the emergency room, said Ms Becky Collins, a hospital spokesman, adding that more victims might arrive at the hospital later.

Mr Reeves said on Twitter that emergency crews were conducting search and rescue missions in the region, using drones in “areas where it is impossible to get by vehicle due to downed power lines”.

As at Monday evening, more than 370,000 customers across the South were without electricity, including more than 180,000 in Oklahoma and more than 29,000 in Mississippi, according to poweroutage.us, which compiles data from utilities.

More than 30 million people, mostly in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi, were under an excessive heat warning.

In the damaged areas, residents – many of whom were without power – also had to endure excessive heat, Mr Carpenter said, with the heat index near 40.5 deg C, and even higher in other places.

While people in Mississippi are used to high summer temperatures, during this time of year the heat index is usually somewhere in the 30 deg C range, Mr Carpenter said.

“It’s been really hot,” he said, and with people outside, trying to clean up without power, “the heat is definitely a concern”.

The temperatures are expected to go down to normal in the next couple of days. For now, some severe thunderstorm warnings remain in effect, as well as river flood warnings, because of the high amount of rainfall.

“Normal summer weather is hot anyway, what we’re dealing with now is extra hot,” Mr Carpenter said.

Video and images of the damage in Louin showed fields destroyed, homes levelled and debris scattered on roads.

One video circulating on social media showed emergency responders rescuing people from damaged homes in the middle of the night.

“It’s been a very interesting weather pattern, especially for June,” Mr Carpenter said.

“In this situation, the jet stream is unusually strong over the area, and it’s creating a spring-like situation.”

Mr Carpenter said the fronts hitting the central part of the state have been consistent and have brought a barrage of chaotic weather, including flash flooding.

Sunday night’s tornado occurred less than a week after severe storms swept across parts of the South, killing five people across three states.

“We’re reaching the end of this crazy pattern,” Mr Carpenter said. “What we got last night, we’re hoping is the last really significant event we have to contend with.” NYTIMES