Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves and state emergency services are on their way to hard-hit Sharkey County, on the west side of the state near the Arkansas-Louisiana border.
Several state agencies are also responding “to the destructive tornadoes that swept across the state overnight,” according to a Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) press release. The agency said that “safety of life is the first priority and the damage will be assessed shortly.”
“Just completed mission briefing with our disaster response team,” Reeves tweeted Saturday morning. “Devastating damage – as everyone knows. This is a tragedy. I’m on my way to Sharkey County to be with the people who were hit first,” he said.
A FEMA team is also headed to the county, the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) said in a press release.
The 23 storm deaths reported so far in the state are in Sharkey, Humphreys, CarrollAnd Monroe provinces. “Dozens” are still injured and at least four people are missing, state emergency services said.
“Safety of life is the number one priority and damage assessments will begin shortly,” MEMA said, adding that several state agencies across Mississippi are responding.
Transport department damaged: While there are no reports of damaged roads in the Sharkey County area, a Mississippi Department of Transportation campus was significantly damaged, MEMA said.
The hub is located near the small town of Rolling Fork, which was ravaged by the storm.
“Some MDOT employees have damaged and/or lost homes in the Rolling Fork area,” MEMA said. Despite this, “some of those with damaged homes reported overnight to keep the area’s roads clear and safe.”
Large trucks are being diverted around Rolling Fork due to low or damaged power lines, according to the statement. The power company is working on repairs.
“Humphreys County is using its Multipurpose Building as a shelter. The American Red Cross will set up a shelter at the Greenville Multipurpose Center. The Red Cross is also providing food, with one thousand meals for breakfast, one thousand meals for lunch, and one thousand meals for dinner ,” MEMA said.
DailyExpertNews’s Nick Valencia and Jessica Jordan contributed to the reporting.