The National Weather Service has confirmed the strengths of 18 tornadoes that touched down in Mississippi over the weekend.
According to NWS, one EF-4, one EF-3, seven EF-2, seven EF-1, and two EF-0 tornadoes were tracked on Friday, March 14, and Saturday, March 15. The two longest-tracked tornadoes stayed on the ground for over 50 miles and nearly 70 miles, respectively.
Officials from the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency remain in the field in 25 counties, validating damage. So far, damage has been reported at 941 homes, 38 businesses, and 25 farms. Of the homes affected, 164 were destroyed, and 204 sustained major damage.
“MEMA teams are in the process of validating damage reports as counties conduct ongoing assessments … These figures are subject to change as further evaluations are conducted,” a press release noted, adding the state agency has filled thousands of requests for sandbags, tarps, and bottled water.
The counties reporting damage are Calhoun, Carroll, Chickasaw, Covington, Forrest, George, Grenada, Holmes, Humphreys, Issaquena, Itawamba, Jasper, Jefferson Davis, Lee, Leflore, Marion, Montgomery, Newton, Pike, Prentiss, Sharkey, Smith, Sunflower, Tishomingo, and Walthall.
Leflore (314), Walthall (182), and Covington (90) counties are reporting a bulk of the homes damaged. Statewide, 91 roads have been reported as damaged, with Prentiss County having the most at 44.
The severe weather did not go without loss of life as seven people died and nearly 30 were injured.
Four of the deaths came in Walthall County: 7-year-old Carter Young, 34-year-old Gabrielle Pierre, 42-year-old Jeffery Irvin, and 90-year-old Wilford Robinson, Sr. Young, Pierre, and Irvin died when one of the twisters ripped through a mobile home community in Darbun.
In Jefferson County, 36-year-old Ryan Tolbird and his stepmother, 56-year-old Mary Suzette Tolbird, died. 67-year-old James Lott was killed in Covington County.
For those who want to help their neighbors in need, a guide on how to do so can be found here.
