More than a dozen people were injured, and hundreds of homes were damaged as a result of storms and tornadoes that touched down in Mississippi on Wednesday night.
Gov. Tate Reeves confirmed that 17 injuries have been reported thus far. Damage was primarily concentrated in southwest Mississippi and the Pine Belt. No deaths have been officially confirmed at this time. Severe weather pummeled through the state on Wednesday, with at least three tornadoes forming and wreaking havoc, causing more than 15,000 power outages.
In Lamar County, 275 homes and 50 apartment units were damaged or inaccessible, and 30 roads have been closed due to debris. The county safe room is open, per the governor, and American Red Cross support is available.
In Lincoln County, more than 200 homes were damaged. Reeves noted that the United Cajun Navy is deploying a 50-person shelter pod, a generator, and 10 pallets of supplies to the area. In Lawrence County, 12 homes were damaged, and multiple roads have been closed due to downed trees and power lines.
The governor noted that these numbers are preliminary and will change as damage assessments continue.
The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency is on scene in affected areas to support damage and operations assessments. Road clearing teams are being deployed to remove debris, and the state is sending additional resources as requested by local emergency managers.
MEMA also encourages those who sustained damages to file an insurance claim, take photos of the damage to their homes, report damages to their local emergency managers, and click to select their county of residence, and fill out a form that alerts officials to the locations hit hardest by the storms.
