(Rolling Fork) Aid continues to flow into Mississippi more than two days after devastating tornadoes that killed at least 25 people, as more severe weather threatens.
In Rolling Fork, a town of some 2,000 people hit hard by this tornado on Friday, the streets look like a “ war zone ”, explained to AFP on Sunday John Brown, a Red Cross official for the Alabama and Mississippi.
New severe weather was not excluded, according to the emergency services of this State (MSEMA). “ There are ‘enhanced’ risks of severe weather ” in parts of Mississippi, they tweeted on Sunday, noting “ destructive gusts and possible tornadoes ”.
On Friday, tornadoes traveled across Mississippi from west to east for more than 150 km, leaving “devastating damage” in their wake, according to the governor of this southern United States state, Tate Reeves.
The number of deaths is “25 with dozens injured”, indicated the MSEMA, which specifies that this figure is “likely to change”.
One of the tornadoes was preliminarily rated a category 4 (out of 5 on the Fujita scale), according to the same source, while the National Weather Services (NWS) said it lasted an hour and 10 minutes and traveled almost 95 km.
The town of Rolling Fork, where 13 people have died, woke up Sunday to spring sunshine, but with the threat of potential new thunderstorms.
And the damage stretches as far as the eye can see.
When the roofs of some houses held, they were gutted. But many of them simply flew away.
In front of the devastated houses, the cars bear witness to the violence of the tornado. Some were smashed into each other, all had their windows smashed, many had their bodies pounded by countless blows, and one vehicle was tossed atop a mound of debris.
“Twenty years of my life gone,” laments Shirley Stamps, 58. On Sunday, with the exception of part of the facade, the bathroom was the only room in the house still standing.
Kimberly Berry, 46, a factory worker, lives between Rolling Fork and Silver City, another town devastated by the tornado.
His house was flattened by the storm, which washed away the walls and the roof, leaving only the wooden floor, a chest of drawers, a tub lying on its side, various personal belongings strewn about.
The tornado was selective. For long kilometres, large areas are untouched. Next door is devastation.
As of Saturday, help began to organize in Rolling Fork. The American Red Cross has taken over a National Guard building, where food and necessities are pouring in alongside cots.
Some have traveled dozens of kilometers to lend reinforcements.
On Saturday evening, electricians in pick-up trucks began trying to restore power, in the midst of numerous police cars.
As of Sunday evening, some 61,000 homes were without power in the two states, monitoring site poweroutage.us reported.
“We’re going to do everything we can through housing (solutions) and other means to get people back to this city as quickly as possible,” Gov. Tate Reeves said at a Sunday press conference in Rolling. Fork.
The governor was accompanied by Homeland Security Minister Alejandro Mayorkas, who spoke of a “heartbreaking” situation.
The Minister also raised the issue of climate change.
“We are seeing extreme weather events that are increasing, both in severity and in frequency,” he said.
“We must build our cities in such a way that we are best prepared, able to respond quickly and recover” as quickly as possible, added Alejandro Mayorkas.
President Joe Biden on Sunday ordered the deployment of federal aid, which is used for short-term housing, repairs and soft loans to cover uninsured property losses.
He assured on Saturday that the federal state would do “everything it can to help”, “as long as it takes”.
Across the southern United States, thunderstorms were also particularly intense on Friday.
In Alabama, a man died after his trailer overturned, according to local police.
Tornadoes, a meteorological phenomenon as impressive as they are difficult to predict, are common in the United States, especially in the center and south of the country.
As of December 2021, approximately 80 people had lost their lives after tornadoes hit Kentucky.
