Nearly 50 Mississippi homes damaged, at least 8 tornadoes confirmed during Tuesday’s storms

By Scott Simmons

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    JEFFERSON DAVIS COUNTY, Mississippi (WAPT) — Early estimates from the National Weather Service confirmed at least eight tornadoes touched down in Mississippi during Tuesday’s storm outbreak.

The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency said two injuries were reported in Pike County and so far, there have been reports of damage to 47 homes and two poultry farms.

The majority of the damage was reported in Lowndes County, where the NWS confirmed an EF2 tornado struck, damaging 20 homes. Twelve homes were damaged in Jasper County, where an EF2 tornado was confirmed.

The NWS confirmed the following tornadoes, which may change as surveys continue:

Lawrence County: EF1 Jefferson Davis County: EF0 and EF1 (Bassfield tornado) Amite County into Pike County: EF1 Winston County into Choctaw County: EF1 Greene County: EF3

The tornado in Bassfield laid waste to an agriculture building but missed a nearby house. Around the corner, a torn roof and shattered walls were just one sign of how strong the winds were.

“We are trying to get to all this mess,” said Rod Courtney, who was cleaning up storm damage. “It pulled up all those posts there and concrete out of the ground. Then, we get up there and take those rafters down and get some of that old tin off.”

Storm assessment teams from the National Weather Service were fanning out across the entire state trying to measure the impact of Tuesday night’s severe weather. They are trying to gauge the extent of the damage, which is no small feat with such a large area to cover.

“We are trying to see what damage happened and if it was from a tornado or may have been straight-line winds. In this situation, what we are finding is damage from a tornado,” said Chad Entremont, with the National Weather Service.

In the Lowndes County area, the damage appears far worse. Church steeples were torn off their mounts, and a county fire department was hit hard by high winds. In the Steens community, widespread damage was being reported.

The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency is collecting the data and asking the public to help by self-reporting that information on the agency’s website.

“We need to know how widespread this damage is, and while we have boots on the ground, you can help speed up this process by uploading photos of your damage and showing what condition your home is in,” Malary White, with MEMA, said.

MEMA is asking for photos of roof damage, wall damage — tangible evidence of damage that will help them have some idea if there is enough evidence to warrant federal aid.

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