Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves and state emergency officers are heading to hard-hit Sharkey County, on the west aspect of the state close to the border with Arkansas and Louisiana.
A number of state companies are additionally “responding to the devastating tornadoes that swept by the state in a single day,” in line with a press launch from Mississippi Emergency Administration Company (MEMA). The company mentioned “life security is the primary precedence and harm assessments will start quickly.”
“Simply accomplished command briefing with our catastrophe response workforce,” Reeves tweeted Saturday morning. “Devastating harm—as everybody is aware of. It is a tragedy. I’m on my method to Sharkey County to be with the individuals first hit,” he mentioned.
The 23 storm fatalities reported up to now within the state are in Sharkey, Humphreys, Carroll, and Monroe counties. There are nonetheless “dozens” injured and not less than 4 individuals lacking, in line with state emergency officers.
“Life security is the primary precedence and harm assessments will start quickly,” MEMA mentioned, including that a number of state companies are responding throughout Mississippi.
Transportation division broken: Whereas there aren’t any studies of broken roadways within the Sharkey County space, a campus for the Mississippi Division of Transportation has been considerably broken, MEMA mentioned.
The hub is positioned close to the small metropolis of Rolling Fork, which was ravaged by the storm.
“Some MDOT staff have broken and/or misplaced houses within the Rolling Fork space,” MEMA mentioned. Regardless of that, “a few of these with broken houses reported in a single day to maintain the world roads clear and secure.”
In line with the assertion, large vehicles are being detoured round Rolling Fork attributable to low or broken energy strains. The ability firm is working to make repairs.
“Humphreys County is utilizing its multipurpose constructing for shelter. The American Purple Cross will arrange a shelter on the Greenville Multipurpose Heart. The Purple Cross can also be offering meals, providing one thousand meals for breakfast, one thousand meals for lunch, and one thousand meals for dinner,” MEMA mentioned.
Federal sources: A FEMA workforce can also be headed to the county, in line with MEMA.
Homeland Safety Secretary Alejandro Mayorksaid as his division will “present assist to the impacted communities” by way of the FEMA workforce.
“Our ideas and prayers are with the communities in Mississippi which have been struck by the devastating tornadoes,” Mayorkas mentioned in a tweet, including he has been in contact with Gov. Reeves and lawmakers from the state.
CNN’s Priscilla Alvarez, Nick Valencia and Jessica Jordan contributed reporting.
