In an aerial view, piles of debris remain where homes once stood before Friday’s EF-4 tornado on March 26, 2023 in Rolling Fork, Mississippi.Photo: Scott Olson (Getty Images)
A tornado swept over Western Mississippi on Friday night, felling trees, flinging roofs off of houses, and killing at least 25 people. At least one person died in nearby Alabama.
The twister touched down in the small town of Rolling Fork. It stayed on the ground for about an hour and traveled about 170 miles, Mississippi meteorologist Nicholas Price said, according to Reuters. The tornado also caused damage to the nearby town of Silver City, the National Weather Service tweeted on Friday night.
Aaron Rigsby, a storm chaser who captured images of the tornado, told the New York Times that it grew from a narrow formation into a large wedge shape on Friday. He tweeted about his experience helping pull people from rubble and how he and others had to flag down help. A video uploaded to Twitter shows block after block of houses reduced to piles of brick and splintered wood, broken trees, and windowless cars.
Eldridge Walker, the mayor of Rolling Fork spoke to CNN as he stood among hills of debris: “Last night it was dark. We were using flashlights. So now I can see what I didn’t see earlier this morning. And it’s worse ... My community is gone.”
Emergency workers and crews spent the weekend cleaning up debris and assessing the extent of the damage. Meanwhile, more than 22,000 customers across Central and Western Mississippi are without power, according to Poweroutage.us.
Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves issued a state of emergency on Saturday for all of the counties most affected by the tornado. President Joe Biden declared a major disaster in the state on Sunday, offering federal aid to the affected areas. The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency has set up supply pickup stations throughout the affected areas, including on in Rolling Fork to provide food, clothing, and water.
Damage to a vehicle from a series of powerful storms and at least one tornado is seen on March 25, 2023 in Rolling Fork, Mississippi.Photo: Will Newton (Getty Images)
A blown down wall and ripped off roof open a main room to the Rolling Fork City Hall Board Room Annex, on Sunday, March 26, 2023, in Rolling Fork, Mississippi.Photo: Rogelio V. Solis (AP)
Debris is strewn about a tornado damaged home, Sunday, March 26, 2023, in Rolling Fork, Mississippi.Photo: Julio Cortez (AP)
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves speaks to reporters, Sunday, March 26, 2023 in Rolling Fork, Mississippi, about the Friday night tornado that hit the town and other areas. Photo: Rogelio V. Solis (AP)
Kimberly Patton surveys through the belongings at the spot of a family member’s home after a tornado destroyed the property two days earlier, Sunday, March 26, 2023, in Rolling Fork, Mississippi.Photo: Julio Cortez (AP)
Ryan Brown works on restoring power lines damaged by a tornado two days earlier, Sunday, March 26, 2023, in Rolling Fork, Mississippi. Photo: Julio Cortez (AP)
Residents continue to recover possessions and secure homes that were damaged by Friday’s tornado on March 26, 2023 in Rolling Fork, Mississippi.Photo: Scott Olson (Getty Images)
Family members are comforted after their home caught fire, which was reported to have been started by a generator used to supply the home with power after an EF-4 tornado knocked out power in Rolling Fork, Mississippi. Photo: Scott Olson (Getty Images)
Residents recover possessions from homes that were destroyed by Friday’s tornado on March 26, 2023 in Rolling Fork, Mississippi.Photo: Scott Olson (Getty Images)
Workers make repairs to the First Baptist Church after it was struck by Friday’s tornado on March 26, 2023 in Rolling Fork, Mississippi.Photo: Scott Olson (Getty Images)
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