Deadly Mississippi tornado brings devastation to US state Published 5 hours ago
At least 26 people have died in Mississippi and Alabama after a tornado tore through the southern US states.
State of emergency has been issued in Mississippi, and search and rescue operations are still ongoing.
The streets of Rolling Fork are littered with broken automobiles, bricks, and glass because the town has been all but destroyed.
One inhabitant told the BBC that he was fortunate to live after finding refuge in his bathtub.
The neighbourhood in western Sharkey County is approaching, but there are little signs of anything out of the ordinary.
The surrounding field is lush and unaltered; the trees haven't even been twisted by the wind.
The homes that were near the path of the storm appear abruptly.
They have been completely destroyed
Dozens of structures have been destroyed by the tornado's fury in this small rural hamlet of 2,000 people, where one fifth of inhabitants live below the poverty line.
Less than 24 hours earlier, homes where family and friends had congregated to prepare for the weekend were reduced to ruins.
Timber frames have been broken apart. There are overturned washing machines, but nothing that could have been a kitchen can be found.
There are vehicles that have been thrown around among the debris. There are sporadic child's toys and other reminders of the lives that were living here only a few hours before
Dozens of structures have been destroyed by the tornado's fury in this small rural hamlet of 2,000 people, where one fifth of inhabitants live below the poverty line.
Less than 24 hours earlier, homes where family and friends had congregated to prepare for the weekend were reduced to ruins.
Timber frames have been broken apart. There are overturned washing machines, but nothing that could have been a kitchen can be found.
There are vehicles that have been thrown around among the debris. There are sporadic child's toys and other reminders of the lives that were living here only a few hours before.
said, sitting in the bathtub as the rest of his house was torn apart. He is currently residing in one of the nearby shelters that have been set up.
He says he will reconstruct his life in some way, but he is unsure of what he will do next.
Tate Reeves, the governor of Mississippi, paid visits to Silver City and Winona on Saturday to meet with those who had been impacted by the tornado's ferocity.
Mr. Reeves shared an update on Twitter and called the circumstance as a "tragedy", writing: "We are fortunate to have kind, talented, and brave responders. Please keep praying."
Reeves said: "We're going to fight like hell to make sure that we get as many resources to this area as possible." He also asked for an expedited disaster declaration for the area.
The search and rescue operations will go on in Mississippi while more storms are expected to approach Georgia and Alabama early on Sunday, with some of them possibly bringing large hail.
Joseph Biden, the vice president of the US, also expressed solidarity for the impacted area.
He called the news reports from Mississippi "heartbreaking."
The White House reported on Sunday that President Biden had directed the federal government to provide aid to assist local recovery efforts in the tornado-affected areas, including grants for temporary housing, loans for house repairs, and low-interest loans to cover uninsured property losses.
