President Joe Biden spoke with state and local leaders after a deadly storm that spawned 24 tornadoes tore through Mississippi and parts of Alabama.
Powerful tornadoes developed from a storm that carved a ferocious path northeast through Mississippi and parts of Alabama at 80 mph, according to AccuWeather.
At least 24 people have died in the two states, the majority in Mississippi, but as search and rescue teams sift through the rubble, they say they can expect that number to rise.
Biden said he is “praying for those who have lost loved ones” and “for those whose loved ones are missing.”
In a statement, the president wrote that he had contacted Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, that he had spoken with Sens. Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith, and that he had contacted Rep. Bennie Thompson about the situation.
President Joe Biden spoke with state and local leaders after a deadly storm that spawned 24 tornadoes tore through Mississippi and parts of Alabama.
Reeves arrived in Rolling Fork on Saturday along with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). He said he has the full support of US President Joe Biden, who assured him by phone that FEMA would be there to “support” the response.
He expressed his condolences and offered “full federal support as communities recover from the effects of this storm.”
Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell was also among those Biden reached out to in the wake of the devastation.
‘[She] it has already deployed emergency response personnel and resources to support search and rescue and assess damage,” he said.
We will do everything we can to help. We will work together to provide him with the support he needs to recover, for as long as it takes.’
FEMA tweeted: “After last night’s devastating tornadoes, we are coordinating with @MSEMA officials to support affected communities.”
‘We are working closely with our state partners to assess the affected areas. Our thoughts are with those communities and their loved ones.’
The rural towns of Silver City and Rolling Fork, about 60 miles northeast of Jackson, Mississippi, were hardest hit after a tornado struck the area shortly after 8 p.m. Friday.
Aerial footage from a Rolling Fork drone filmed early Saturday morning revealed homes destroyed, battered vehicles lodged in the rubble and residents’ belongings strewn across the vacant lot.
Other images from the city revealed shattered residents wandering the city dumped on rubble in hopes of salvaging their remaining valuables.
As dawn broke over Mississippi, the trail of destruction left by powerful tornadoes was laid bare.
Reeves declared a state of emergency after 24 tornadoes tore through the state killing dozens, injuring others and leaving a trail of “war zone”-like destruction.
Residents of hard-hit Rolling Fork greeted Reeves as he surveyed the damage in the small town.
Meanwhile, a 67-year-old Alabama man has died after being trapped inside his mobile home during Friday night’s tornadoes. CNN informed.
A Morgan County emergency department spokesperson confirmed the death, telling the outlet that it was unclear if a powerful tornado or two separate storms devastated the area.
The Morgan County fatality is the only recorded so far in Alabama and has brought the death toll for the entire storm system to 24.
It comes as authorities revealed a husband and wife were found dead in their Rolling Fork home after winds sent a neighbor’s 18-wheeler crashing into their home.
Shanta Howard, a Rolling Fork resident, said the community had come together to help with the operation.
“Everyone is helping everyone, not just in this part of town, it’s everywhere,” he said. WAPT 16.
‘Everyone is helping and praying for everyone. As you can see, no one has a home here.
‘We had to help the corpses out of the house. That’s very disturbing – to see people lose their lives in bad weather like this.
‘What was going through my head? ‘Lord, I don’t want to die. I don’t want me or the children to die.
Shelters have opened in Mississippi for people forced from their homes by tornadoes in Sharkey, Monroe and Humphreys counties.
Shelters opened in Mississippi for people forced from their homes by tornadoes in Sharkey, Monroe and Humphreys counties
Search and rescue teams have now been deployed to the Rolling Fork, along with ambulances.
The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency met Saturday morning to learn more about the overnight storms and plan how to address the devastation.
Damaging winds and isolated tornadoes were the main threats Saturday as the largest storm system heads east and is expected to move away from the East Coast overnight.
On Sunday, there is a level 2 of 5 risk in parts of the South for another round of severe storms that will bring damaging winds, isolated tornadoes, and severe hail to the area.
The affected areas will include Montgomery in Alabama, Jackson in Mississippi, and Columbus and Macon in Georgia.
Flooding could also pose a threat in parts of the South as an additional 2 to 4 inches of rain is possible through Sunday.