Tornadoes and storms devastate

Mississippi and parts of South

Shameka Muhammad

Debris is strewn about tornado damaged homes, March 26, in Rolling Fork, Miss. At least 25
people were killed and dozens of others were injured in Mississippi as the massive storm ripped
through several towns. Photo: AP Photo/Julio Cortez »

GREENVILLE, Miss.—Residents across the Mississippi Delta braced for a long

track of storms that swept through leaving a trail of death and destruction.
The Associated Press reported that help began pouring into one of the
poorest regions of the U.S. after a deadly tornado tore a path of destruction
for more than an hour across a long swath of Mississippi, even as furious new
storms struck across the Deep South at presstime.
The communities of Rolling Fork, with a population of about 2,000 people, and
Silver City, with a population of about 200 people were the hardest hit with
residents awakening to their homes in rubble, businesses flattened, and an
overturned water tower.

Surrounding communities rushed to help in the rescue of those who were

trapped in piles of rubble and those who had perished. At presstime the death
toll was 26 with 13 of those in Rolling Fork.

“The alarms would normally ring, but this time it didn’t. We were told to take
shelter right away,” said JoAnn Anderson, cousin of Nation of Islam Student
Minister Basil Muhammad and Sister Shameka Muhammad of Greenwood,
Mississippi. “Something sounded off. As soon as we laid in the hallway, it
started right away. Windows breaking, loud noises so we started praying, ‘help
us God, help us,’” she said.

“We are thankful to God to be

alive,” said Rolling Fork Police
Chief Cardell Hughes. “Now we
are going to need manpower to

A home destroyed by recent tornado in Missis… »

help us with the cleanup efforts,” he said .

The powerful force of the storm

downed power lines and left
behind trails of mangled metal
and overturned vehicles. Future
challenges for the majority-
Black communities will be tough
in the following days as
residents try to rebuild their
lives in what once was their
home.

Semi-trucks stacked on top of one another afte… »

The massive storm ripped through more than a half-dozen towns late March
24. Search and recovery crews resumed the daunting task of digging through
flattened and battered homes, commercial buildings and municipal offices
after hundreds of people were displaced. The storm hit so quickly that the
sheriff’s department in Rolling Fork barely had time to set off sirens to warn
the community of 2,000 residents, said Mayor Eldridge Walker. The mayor said
his town was devastated.
A house with blown out windows, missin… »
Nation of Islam Student Minister Basil Muhammad of Greenville, Mississippi and his cousin
JoAnn Anderson survey damage at what used to be a store. Photo courtesy of Shameka
Muhammad »

President Joe Biden issued an emergency declaration for Mississippi early

March 26, making federal funding available to hardest hit areas.

At presstime recovery efforts in Mississippi were underway even as the

National Weather Service warned of a new risk of more severe weather—
including high winds, large hail and possible tornadoes in Georgia, Louisiana,
Mississippi and Alabama.

A tornado touched down early March 26 in Troup County, Georgia, near the
Alabama border, according to the Georgia Mutual Aid Group. Affected areas
included the county seat of LaGrange, about 67 miles southwest of Atlanta.
A mangled car tangled in powerlines. Photo courtesy of Sham… »
These remnants of homes destroyed by the Friday night tornado that hit Rolling Folk, Miss., are
quiet on Sunday morning, March 26, after families, friends and neighbors spent most of
Saturday trying to salvage their possessions. The tornado was part of a system of severe weather
that moved through several southern states causing death and destruction. Photo: AP
Photo/Rogelio V. Solis »

About 100 buildings were damaged, with at least 30 uninhabitable, and five
people suffered minor injuries, officials said. Many roads, including Interstate
Highway 85, were blocked by debris. The Associated Press contributed to this
report.