Hundreds of homes damaged as tornadoes rip through Mississippi, injuring at least 17
Multiple tornadoes swept across Mississippi on Wednesday night and early Thursday morning, damaging or destroying hundreds of homes and injuring at least 17 people.
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About 1,200 tornadoes hit the U.S. every year, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The storms ripped through several counties in the central and western parts of the state, toppling trees, downing powerlines and collapsing homes. As of late Thursday morning, more than 15,000 people had no electricity.
Officials said they received reports of at least 14 tornadoes overnight, though only one has been confirmed so far. Supercell storms spawned reported twisters near Purvis, Brookhaven and Bogue Chitto, according to The Weather Channel.
The tornadoes have no reported fatalities, but have injured at least 17 people, including 12 residents of a trailer park community heavily damaged in Bogue Chitto, about 65 miles southwest of Jackson.
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said the American Red Cross and the Cajun Navy have offered shelter and support while state emergency crews assess damage and work to reopen blocked roads.
The National Weather Service warned the severe weather threat is not over yet. Forecasters say scattered storms capable of producing tornadoes remain possible Thursday across parts of southeast Alabama, south Georgia and north Florida. Isolated severe storms are also possible in parts of the Carolinas, the lower Rio Grande Valley and Deep South Texas.
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
