A swath of severe storms and tornadoes that killed six and injured nearly 30 more has triggered a State of Emergency signed by Governor Tate Reeves Saturday night.
As many as 12 tornadoes have confirmed to have touched down in multiple regions of the Magnolia State Friday and Saturday. Reeves noted in a Sunday press conference that several tornadoes were “eerily similar” to the 2023 Rolling Fork and 2020 Easter twisters. The most recent tornadoes were long track phenomena, with the largest on Friday lasting 50 miles on the ground and the largest Saturday covering 70 miles.
Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) officials say six total deaths have been reported – one in Covington County, two if Jefferson Davis County, and three in Walthall County. There were multiple people missing in Covington and Walthall Counties as of Sunday morning, but they have no been found with no injury.
29 people have been reported as injured in the storms – 15 in Covington County, 10 in Walthall County, two in Jefferson Davis County, and two in Pike County.
“I’m heartbroken by the destruction and loss of life caused by these storms,” Governor Tate Reeves said. “The state of Mississippi will continue to utilize every available resource to support our fellow Mississippians in need. We are committed to helping them rebuild. We’re here for the long haul. Please join me in praying for the families and friends of those who have lost loved ones during this difficult time.”
The State of Emergency will allow the state to mobilize state assets to support response and recovery efforts in the areas affected by the storms.
21 counties have reported damage to MEMA as of Sunday morning, with on-ground damage assessments yet to begin. Around 36,000 Mississippians were without power during the peak outage, though crews have cut that number significantly as they work to restore service.
If you sustained damage during the storm, MEMA encourages you to take pictures of the damage, report the damage to your county emergency management agency or MEMA via the self-report tool, and file an insurance claim immediately.
A list of county emergency management agency contacts can be seen here.
