Tornadoes leave 100+ miles of destruction in Mississippi
Mississippi State University student and multimedia journalist Haley Meier reports live from Amory, Mississippi on the devastation left in the wake of catastrophic tornadoes.
Video footage taken Saturday morning showed widespread destruction after tornadoes ripped through Mississippi.
A severe weather outbreak across several southern states Friday evening and Saturday morning left at least 23 people dead in Mississippi.
MISSISSIPPI TORNADOES: VIOLENT TWISTERS KILL AT LEAST 23 AND LEAVE 100-MILE DESTRUCTION PATH
Footage captured by camera drones show residential and commercial structures wiped out by the lethal storms in Rolling Fork and Amory, Mississippi. That state's governor, Republican Tate Reeves, issued a state of emergency in all counties affected by the storm Saturday.
President Biden said Saturday he is offering "full federal support as communities recover," and that he has spoken with Reeves, the state's congressional delegation and FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell.
A resident walks through a mobile home park destroyed following a tornado in Rolling Fork, Mississippi, on Wednesday, March 29, 2023. President Joe Biden issued an emergency declaration for Mississippi, making federal funding available to hardest hit areas. (Photographer: Rory Doyle/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
"Jill and I are praying for those who have lost loved ones in the devastating tornadoes in Mississippi and for those whose loved ones are missing," Biden said in a statement. "The images from across Mississippi are heartbreaking. While we are still assessing the full extent of the damage, we know that many of our fellow Americans are not only grieving for family and friends, they’ve lost their homes and businesses."
The first major tornado started in the town of Rolling Fork, FOX Weather reported, and continued 30 miles northeast through Silver City – first responder agencies report severe damage in both areas. Radar analysis indicated it was on the ground for about 80 miles and lifted debris at least 20,000 feet in the air during its destructive path.
RARE TORNADO RIPS THROUGH LOS ANGELES COUNTY, INJURING 1 AND TEARING OFF ROOF
Amory Mayor Eldridge Walker told Fox News' Neil Cavuto that his community had been "devastated."
"We've lost lives. We have folks who are injured and I have friends that I've lost and families that are displaced," he explained, "and, right now, we are working real hard to make sure that those families that are displaced and the children – we're taking care of them and [getting] them what they need at this point."
Walker said that the storm came into the area rapidly, leaving flat ground where buildings used to stand.
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Fox News' Elizabeth Pritchett and Julia Musto contributed to this report.
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