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The town of Rolling Fork, Mississippi has been decimated after devastating, powerful tornadoes tore through the US South overnight, leaving at least 24 people dead and several missing, officials reported.
A “mile-wide”, 70mph tornado tore through Rolling Fork and Silver City, Mississippi before smashing into Winona and Amory, Alabama, late on Friday. The massive supercell storm also brought hail the size of golf balls.
Rolling Fork mayor Eldridge Walker told CNN that his “city is gone” after buildings and homes were obliterated. As daylight broke, teams of rescuers were on the ground to help dig people out of the rubble.
Cornel Knight said that he, his wife and their three-year-old daughter were at a relative’s home in Rolling Fork when the tornado struck.
He said the sky was dark but “you could see the direction from every transformer that blew”, The Associated Press reported.
He said that it was “eerily quiet” as that happened. Mr Knight said he watched from a doorway until the tornado was, he estimated, less than a mile away. Then he told everyone in the house to take cover in a hallway.
Debris covers the ground from a diner, Chuck’s dairy bar, early Saturday, March 25, 2023 in Rolling Fork
(AP)
He said the tornado struck another relative’s home across a wide corn field from where he was located. A wall in that home collapsed and trapped several people inside.
Rolling Fork mayor Eldridge Walker said he was unable to get out of his damaged home soon after the tornado hit because power lines were down.
He said emergency responders were trying to take injured people to hospital. He did not immediately know how many people had been hurt.
The Sharkey-Issaquena Community Hospital in Rolling Fork was also damaged, WAPT reported.
A resident looks through the piles of debris, insulation, and home furnishings to see if anything is salvageable at a mobile home park in Rolling Fork
(AP)
A total of 23 fatalities were reported by the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency.
The first death in Alabama was reported on Saturday morning after a man was trapped inside his mobile home.
A spokesperson for the Morgan County emergency department confirmed the death and told the outlet it was unclear whether one powerful tornado or two separate storms devastated the area.
Tens of thousands of people are without power in Mississippi, Tennessee and Alabama, according to utility tracker, Poweroutage.us.
Twitter user Stephanie Cox posted a video on Twitter showing overturned vehicles and blown-down trees caused by the storm.
She tweeted: “Absolutely unreal damage in Rolling Fork . What a wild night please keep all these towns in your thoughts!”
With additional reporting from The Associated Press