Woman dies in Mississippi storm during 911 call

JACKSON, Miss. — A Mississippi woman who desperately tried to direct rescuers to her sinking vehicle after it skidded into a rain-swollen creek was among four people killed in storms across the South.

Jacqueline Williams, 52, ran off a road into a creek in Florence before dawn Monday and dialed 911 from the car as it went down, said Rankin County Coroner David Ruth.

Ruth said Williams, who lived in Florence, was trying to relay her location to a dispatcher as the car settled into the swirling waters.

“She was trying to tell the dispatcher where she was, and she could actually hear the sirens,” Ruth said.

The two lost contact, and Ruth said a swift-water recovery team later found Williams’ body in the creek outside the car.

In the tiny Mississippi Delta town of Glendora, the mayor’s wife died Sunday when strong winds toppled a tree onto the couple’s house. Mayor Johnny B. Thomas was briefly hospitalized with injuries after his wife, Shirley, was killed, said town clerk Aquarius Simmons.

“She was a nice lady. Very sweet. Everybody loved her,” Simmons said of Shirley Thomas.

Two other people died earlier in Louisiana.

Forecasters said tornadoes and strong winds were likely from Mississippi to South Carolina. The greatest tornado risk was centred over Alabama.

Some schools in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama cancelled or delayed the start of classes Monday so students wouldn’t travel in heavy rain or on flooded streets.