Graphic Courtesy of MEMA
Mississippi was hit hard by severe weather for the second Sunday in a row, and at least one fatality has been confirmed.
According to the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, an individual in Marion County died during yesterday’s storms.
Because of yesterday’s severe weather, there’s been one death reported in Marion County. More details on the damage from yesterday’s storms will be released later this morning.
— msema (@MSEMA) April 20, 2020
Charles Peek, a storm chaser and reporter for The Weather Channel, confirmed that a tornado touched down in the area, destroying several mobile homes.
A tornado did major damage in Marion County, MS last night destroying at least two mobile homes NW of Sandy Hook. There was one fatality and we are awaiting final word if it was storm related. @weatherchannel #MSwx #tornado pic.twitter.com/MenEeV9Nk4
— Charles Peek (@CharlesPeekWX) April 20, 2020
Initial damage reports from MEMA show that five counties reported damage. While data from all five counties is not yet available, MEMA provided the following information:
These are initial reports; numbers could change throughout today and the upcoming days.
- Forrest – 8 homes damaged, 25 roads closed due to debris
- Marion – 20 homes damaged, 20+ roads closed due to debris, one fire station on Hurricane Creek Road Destroyed
- Jackson – one home destroyed, one home major damage
For those that sustained damage during the April 19 severe weather, you’re encouraged to report that damage using our citizen self-reporting tool: https://www.msema.org/contact/crisistrackcsr/
The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency is working with local county EMA directors to assess the need for long-term sheltering. The statewide shelter-in-place remains in effect. We want to remind people to social distance as best as possible and if you’re in a public shelter, wear some kind of mask to cover your mouth and nose to help slow the spread of COVID-19.
Yesterday’s storms occurred just one week after devastating tornados, including the widest tornado in Mississippi history, left 14 people dead on Easter Sunday. President Trump recently approved a ‘Federal Disaster Declaration’ to assist with recovery efforts following the storms.
