Photo courtesy of the NWS-Jackson
Mississippi was hit hard by severe weather over the weekend, and officials are continuing to survey the damage.
The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) has released their initial damage report, which shows that 21 counties were affected by the severe weather. The National Weather Service has confirmed that at least 15 tornados touched down across the state, causing a varying degree of damage.
Governor Phil Bryant signed and declared a State of Emergency on Sunday, which covers all counties affected by the weekend’s tornadoes and severe storms. A State of Emergency is an administrative tool that authorizes the use of state resources to aid in response and recovery efforts.
Related: Governor Bryant declares state of emergency
One fatality was reported in Monroe County, and around 20 injuries were reported statewide. Nearly 200 homes and 30 businesses were impacted, and with ongoing assessments, that number will likely grow.
Below, you’ll find MEMA’s initial damage reports for the affected counties.
- Attala: One home damaged
- Choctaw: No damage reported at this time
– EF-1 tornado started in the county before crossing into Webster County. - Clarke: Assessments ongoing
– EF-2 tornado in the city of Quitman (initial ruling) - Clay: 10 homes, 13 businesses and four roads damaged
- Covington: Assessments ongoing, one injury reported
- Hinds: Assessments ongoing
- Holmes: Assessments going
- Itawamba: Building assessments ongoing; seven roads and one bridge damaged.
- Jackson: Seven homes damaged
– EF-1 tornado in the town of Escatawpa (initial ruling) - Jasper: One home damaged
- Kemper: Assessments ongoing
- Leake: Assessments ongoing
– EF-1 tornado in the town of Thomastown - Madison: Assessments ongoing
- Monroe: 130 homes, 14 apartments, two business and three public buildings damaged. One fatality and 17 injuries reported.
– EF-2 tornado in the town of Hamilton
– EF-1 tornado in the town of Greenwood Springs (initial ruling) - Oktibbeha: Assessments ongoing
– EF-2 tornado near the Winston County/Oktibbeha County line
– EF-1 tornado in the city of Starkville - Rankin: Assessments ongoing
- Simpson: Assessments ongoing.
- Smith: Two homes damaged
- Walthall: Assessments ongoing
- Warren: 50 homes, 17 businesses and 13 public buildings damaged.–
– Two EF-2 tornadoes in the city of Vicksburg - Webster: No damage reported at this time
– EF-0 tornado, just south of Mantee
– EF-1 tornado crossed from Choctaw County into the town of Mathiston. - Winston: Assessments ongoing
- Yazoo: Assessments ongoing
Mississippi Civil Defense and Emergency Management Association (MCDEMA)
- Emergency Managers have been assisting their county neighbors/partners in damage assessments and resource sharing through the Statewide Mutual Aid Compact (SMAC)
- SMAC provides a plan/agreement for cities and counties to request and receive assistance from each other when local resources are exhausted.
MEMA Resources Deployed:
- MEMA’s Mobile Command Center is now set up in Monroe County to assist with providing communications and workspace while towers are being restored.
- Personnel deployed to affected areas for damage assessments, staffing of county emergency management offices and asset delivery.
- Drones with pilots to provide aerial capability in damage assessments.
- 800 tarps to affected counties
These damage reports serve only as initial assessments from the county emergency management offices and will change (either higher or lower) as additional reports and assessments are sent to MEMA. So far, over 170 residences and 30 businesses were affected statewide.
The National Weather Services in Jackson, New Orleans and Memphis have confirmed a total of 11 tornadoes that impacted the state over the weekend. One storm-related fatality and 18 injuries have been reported to MEMA thus far.
