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The center of the destruction appears to have been in the town of Rolling Fork in Sharkey County, Mississippi, where witnesses say the main shopping street was destroyed and The National Meteorological Service confirmed brought by the tornado. Mayor Eldridge Walker told CNN: “My city is gone.”
The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency said early Saturday morning that dozens of people were injured and at least four people were missing. “We have numerous local and state search and rescue teams that continue to operate this morning,” the agency said in a statement. update posted on Twitter, adding: “Unfortunately, these numbers are expected to change.”
Just under 100,000 electricity customers in Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee were still without power early Saturday, with some of the hardest-hit counties almost completely offline, according to tracking website poweroutage.us.
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves noted the death toll and asked for prayers. “The loss will be felt in these cities forever,” he wrote. on twitter. Representative Benny Thompson, Democrat from Mississippi, said on Twitter that he would support declaring a state of emergency to unlock more aid in the area, adding that he “witnessed first-hand the heroic efforts of our first responders.”
Three of the dead were from Carroll County, Mississippi, according to local coroner Mark Stiles. “We are still doing search and recovery. We’re trying to cut down trees to get where people live,” Mr. Stiles said.
The severe weather season in the south reaches its peak in March, April and May, according to meteorologists. Earlier this month, severe hurricanes swept through the south, killing at least 12 people and leaving hundreds of thousands without power. Torrential rain, high winds and tornadoes have damaged homes in at least eight states.
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