Devastation left in wake of deadly tornado

THERE’S SO MUCH TO TELL HERE. THIS STORM SEEMINGLY TOOK SO MANY BY SURPRISE. 16 WAPTS BRADLEY DAVIS… HAD A CHANCE TO TALK TO SOME OF THE PEOPLE THERE IN THE MIDST OF THE CHAOS. THIS WILL NOT BE AN EASY RECOVERY. “I THOUGHT I WAS DEAD” A SMALL TOWN… MOURNS AFTER MASSIVE DEVASTATION “IT LOOKS LIKE A WARZONE OUT HERE.” AN ENTIRE ROADSIDE OF HOMES AND BUSINESS OFF OF HIGHWAY 61.. ARE JUST GONE… -NO SUPER “AS YOU CAN SEE NO ONE HAS A HOME HERE” AFTER ROLLING FORK MISSISSIPPI TOOK A DIRECT HIT FROM A DEADLY TORNADO. IN THIS SMALL TOWN… RESIDENTS LOST A LOT MORE THAN THEIR BUILDINGS -SHANTA SUPER WE HAD TO HELP DEAD BODIES OUT OF THE HOUSE SO THAT IS VERY DISTURBING ACTUALLY SEEING PEOPLE LOSING THEIR LIVES OVER A WEATHER INCIDENT.” SURVIVORS LIKE SHANTA HOWARD SAY IT WAS A FIGHT FOR LIFE WHEN THE TORNADO HIT. “WHAT WAS GOING THROUGH MY HEAD? LORD I DON’T WANT TO DIE! -ANDY SUPER “RAN DOWN TO THE TUB IN THE BATHROOM WITH MY WIFE ALL THREW PILLOWS ON TOP OF US.” HOMES LEVELED. BUSINESSES DESTROYED. LIVES LOST. BUT SMALL MISSISSIPPI TOWNS.. ARE HARD TO BRING DOWN. “EVERYBODY’S FAMILY AROUND HERE.” “EVERYBODY IS HELPING EVERYBODY….” IN FROM VICKSBURG.. GREENVILLE… JACKSON AND EVEN ARKANSAS TO HELP WITH THE CLEANUP.. IN THE HOSPITALS… AND IN THE SEARCH FOR THOSE STILL MISSING IN ROLLING FORK. “HOW LONG DO YOU THINK Y’ALL WILL BE OUT HERE? AS LONG AS IT TAKES.” THAT WAS WAPT’S BRADLEY DAVIS REPORTIN

Video, photos: Devastation left in wake of deadly tornado

Updated: 12:59 PM CDT Mar 25, 2023

ROLLING FORK, Miss. —

At first light Saturday, thousands of Mississippi residents awoke to a good look at the devastation from a deadly tornado.

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Damage assessment is underway after a massive tornado that went on for 170 miles and killed at least 23 people in Mississippi alone.

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Crews from all over Mississippi and some from other states are in Rolling Fork helping with search and rescue.

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Rolling Fork tornado

“Complete and utter devastation. Just houses, roofs ripped off of houses, walls took down from houses.”

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Tornado Track

The tornado, which was at least a mile wide, formed near Rolling Fork and continued on unabated for miles through Mississippi and into Alabama.

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Massive Tornado

Brett Adair took this picture of what the tornado, which led the National Weather Service to issue a rare “Tornado Emergency”

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Tornado Damage

Brett Bailess took this picture of his what was once his business, Service Lumber. An Ace Hardware also stood on Highway 61 before Friday’s tornado.

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Tornado Damage

The damage is unimaginable for Rolling Fork residents.

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It will be some time before the extent of the damage will be known.

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The damage in Rolling Fork is heartbreaking, one reporter said.

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The worst of the damage was in Sharkey County.

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It was not immediately known how many homes and businesses were damaged in Rolling Fork.

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Tornado Cleanup

As the sun came up, cleanup efforts began in earnest.

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Tornado Damage

Silver City also took a significant hit from the tornado.

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Tornado Coverage

Video and images show the devastation from Friday night’s tornado.

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Gov. Tate Reeves declared a state of emergency for the affected counties.

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“We will marshal every available resource on behalf of our neighbors in need. We’re here for the long haul,” Gov. Tate Reeves says.

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A pair of residents walk through the remains of their tornado demolished mobile home park, looking through the piles of debris, insulation, and home furnishings to see if anything is salvageable in Rolling Fork.

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A resident looks through the piles of debris, insulation, and home furnishings to see if anything is salvageable at a tornado demolished mobile home park in Rolling Fork.

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Piles of debris, insulation, damaged vehicles and home furnishings are all that remain of was a mobile home park in Rolling Fork.