TORNADO RIPS THROUGH MISS.; 2 DEAD IN MO. FLOODING
A tornado tore through a rural area of the Mississippi Delta Friday night, causing injuries, widespread damage and downing power lines as severe weather that produced hail the size of golf balls moved through several southern states.
The National Weather Service confirmed a tornado caused damage about 60 miles northeast of Jackson, Miss. The towns of Silver City and Rolling Fork were reporting destruction as the tornado continued moving just before 9 p.m. into the northwest side of Tchula and along Highway 49.
Rolling Fork Mayor Eldridge Walker told WLBTTV he was unable to get out of his damaged home soon after the tornado hit the town because power lines were down. He said emergency responders were trying to take injured people to hospitals. He did not immediately know how many people had been hurt.
“Heading to Vicksburg hospital with injured residents of Rolling Fork MS they need emergency personnel NOw,” storm chaser Reed Timmer posted on Twitter.
The Sharkey County Sheriff’s Office in Rolling Fork reported gas leaks and people trapped in piles of rubble, the Vicksburg News reported. Some law enforcement units were unaccounted for, according to the the newspaper.
Earlier Friday a car was swept away and two passengers drowned in southwestern Missouri during torrential rains that were part of a severe weather system. Authorities said six young adults were in the vehicle that was swept away as the car tried to cross a bridge over a flooded creek in the town of Grovespring.
Some parts of southern Missouri saw nearly 3 inches of rain Thursday night and into Friday morning as severe weather hit other areas. A suspected tornado touched down Friday in north Texas.