Mississippi faces more extreme weather after tornado kills 25

The storm-hit Mississippi state suffered the aftermath of a massive tornado that struck the southern United States on Sunday, killing at least 25 people and devastating communities as they braced for another bout of extreme weather.

Search and rescue workers surveyed the damage of shredded homes, collapsed buildings and wrecked cars in the small town of Rolling Fork, which has been nearly wiped out by nature’s fury.

After President Joe Biden released disaster aid, the National Weather Service (NWS) warned residents of Mississippi and neighboring Alabama that a new “supercell thunderstorm” could hit late Sunday. bottom.

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The NWS said Friday’s tornado, which left a trail of destruction more than 100 miles (160 kilometers) long across the state, was torn at speeds of up to 200 miles (320 km) per hour.

Dozens were injured, and officials said the death toll could rise.

Under warm spring sunshine and cloudless blue skies, fainted residents roamed among ruined homes, sifting through debris, crews fighting fires, conducting searches, clearing emergency routes. They were comforting each other.

Before-and-after satellite images released late Sunday showed complete devastation in parts of a rolling fork that destroyed homes and ripped trees from the earth.

The American Red Cross moved into the Rolling Fork National Guard building hours after a storm destroyed much of the town of Rolling Fork, home to about 2,000 residents.

Some areas have been set up as clinics and stocked with food and medical supplies to help storm victims who have lost everything, said John Brown, a Red Cross representative for Alabama and Mississippi. A box has been brought.

Anna Crista, 43, and her 16-year-old son Alvaro Lecha fled to the scene, saying their home had been torn apart.

– “Heartbreaking” –

The weather also killed a man in Alabama after he was crushed under an overturned trailer, according to the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office.

Officials, including Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorcas, gathered at Rolling Fork on Sunday afternoon to praise the rescue efforts and pledge “long-term” assistance.

“It is heartbreaking to hear of the loss of life and to see the devastation firsthand,” Majorcas said during a press conference with Governor Tate Reeves and FEMA Director Dean Criswell. ” he said.

He warned that the country “is witnessing an increase in extreme weather events.

Earlier on Sunday, Criswell told ABC that the tornado zone was “still very much in life-saving and life-sustaining mode.”

She praised first responders, saying some “may have lost their homes” and that FEMA has sent more teams to “help plan and start the recovery process.” said.

The White House said on Sunday that Biden’s emergency order to support recovery efforts would provide subsidies for temporary housing, home repairs, and low-cost loans to cover the loss of uninsured property. rice field.

-Emergency Supplies-

Reeves tweeted to Biden, “Thank you for recognizing the scale of the damage in Mississippi and for your swift approval of the disaster declaration. This is an important step in disaster response.”

Electrical repairs were underway to restore service on Sunday, but the number of customers without power in thunderstorm-hit Mississippi and Alabama rose to a total of 61,000 by the evening, according to monitor poweroutage.us. reported.

Volunteers flooded in from surrounding towns, including Lauren Hoda, who traveled to help 70 miles from Vicksburg.

“When I woke up this morning, I wanted to cry for the people of this town because I don’t think it was long before[the tornado]came,” she said.

She spent Saturday night at a rolling fork collecting water, food, canned goods, diapers, wipes, medicine and toothpaste from a fundraiser.

A similar destruction plagued Twister hit Silver City. There, residents were seen doing what they could to rescue their destroyed homes.

A notoriously unpredictable weather phenomenon, tornadoes are relatively common in the United States, especially in the central and southern regions.

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