The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency confirmed Monday morning that six tornadoes touched down in the Magnolia State during Saturday’s string of severe weather.
Malary White, chief communications officer for MEMA, said during an appearance on The Gallo Show that the twisters combined with thunderstorms resulted in damage being reported in at least 20 counties and thousands of power outages across the state. Preliminary assessments show 150 homes and seven businesses were harmed, ranging from roof damage to complete destruction.
White also noted two fatalities and 10 injuries. The fatalities came in Adams County, where a Natchez high schooler died, and in Lowndes County, where an elderly woman on oxygen lost power and could not survive the medical emergency.
“So far, I’m seeing about six confirmed tornadoes that happened on Saturday. It was a very busy, active night. And it’s unfortunate we saw two people lose their lives to it,” White said. “We just urge people to be patient with the first responders and those who are currently trying to restore power.”
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The six tornadoes combined with one confirmed on Friday afternoon in Jackson County make for at least seven Mississippi saw over a 36-hour span, although the National Weather Service is still surveying and working on preliminary tornado ratings.
While the December tornadoes came as a surprise to some, White said they shouldn’t. Over the past decade, Mississippi has experienced a list of twisters near Christmastime. She said tornadoes are not confined to spring and summer months, as opposed to popular belief, and the same goes for hurricanes as December tropical developments have happened twice in the last eight years, even with the Atlantic hurricane season officially ending on Nov. 30.
“Christmas tornadoes are actually not that uncommon for Mississippi. If you think back to about 2014, 2015, and 2016, there was a stretch there for a few years where we were having tornadoes in December,” White said. “It’s an unfortunate thing, but it’s just like hurricane season. We’ve seen hurricane season go from November into December as well. It’s one of those things that we constantly have to have an eye on the storm. We have to constantly be prepared.”
White encourages Mississippians to always be prepared for the next storm by having a disaster supply kit on hand, making sure homes and businesses are as weather-proof as possible, and taking time to stock non-perishable food and water. MEMA provides a full disaster recovery guide on its website.
As for Saturday’s severe weather, MEMA is still encouraging residents who received damage from the storms and tornadoes to file an insurance claim, take photos of the damage, and report it to the agency through the self-report tool.
