In pictures: the deadliest tornado to hit Mississippi in over 50 years

Hit hardest in economically deprived areas

25 people killed

Twenty-five people have been killed, hundreds displaced and dozens injured in Mississippi, after at least one tornado hit the Southeast on March 24th.

Deadliest tornado in more than 50 years

The fatalities were the most for a tornado in Mississippi in more than five decades, data from the National Weather Service shows.

Hit hardest in economically deprived areas

Moreover, it hit hardest in some of the most economically deprived areas of America’s poorest state. In Rolling Fork, a town of 2,000 inhabitants, entire neighborhoods were reduced to rubble.

Evidence of a violent tornado

Videos and photos of the aftermath showed crushed cars, houses without roofs, a toppled municipal water tower and bent trees.

Rolling Fork: a destroyed community

“The community has been destroyed,” said Rolling Fork’s mayor, Eldridge Walker, in an interview with ABC News on the morning of March 26. “And now we’ve got to put the pieces back together again.”

Photo: satellite image of Rolling Fork.

Power shortages

The town’s community hospital lost power during the storm, meaning patients and nursing home residents had to be transferred for treatment, local media reported.

36,000 remain without power

Furthermore, about 36,000 people reported, as of March 27th, that they remain without power.

A violent tornado

National Weather Service estimates highlighted the tornado’s vast scale and power. On a scale up to 5, the tornado was given an EF-4 rating, meaning its top wind gusts were between 166 and 200mph.

The tornado traveled far

Weather service meteorologists estimated that the tornado was on the ground for more than one hour and traveled at least 170 miles, a distance that they described as “very, very rare”.

Federal funding for Mississippi

The White House announced a major disaster early Sunday morning, unlocking federal funding to four counties in Mississippi that were hit hardest.

Temporary housing and repairs

The funding will be used for temporary housing, repairs and other programs to help businesses and community members recover financially, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema).

Working together for recovery

“We will do everything we can to help,” Biden tweeted Saturday, March 25th. “We will work together to deliver the support you need to recover, for as long as it takes.”

Governor visited affected communities

Mississippi’s governor, Tate Reeves, spent Saturday, March 25th visiting communities around the state affected by the disaster, as showed by his Twitter activity.

Ready to rebuild

The governor uploaded some pictures delivering water and other supplies and remarked:“The spirit of Mississippi is strong and we’re ready to rebuild!”

Further severe weather warnings

However, Reeves warned the public Monday, March 27th that more severe weather could be on its way to Mississippi. “The risks seem to be getting worse and worse. Not better,” he said at a news conference in Rolling Forks.

Deceiving weather

"And when you stand here and see this, what feels like a beautiful weather day in Mississippi, please be aware and please know: if you are south of I-55 in Mississippi today there are significant risks. We are prepared,” he added.