Photo: ANADOLU AGENCY / copyright
Storms and extreme weather continued to batter the southern US state of Mississippi on Sunday, after the devastation caused by a massive tornado on Saturday that killed at least 26 people.
In Rolling Fork, one of the hardest-hit towns, rescue teams assessed damage amid the destruction.
Rubble, overturned cars and pieces of property lie in the street.
Many residents are trying to recover belongings amid homeless and virtually dilapidated homes.
US President Joe Biden announced an aid package for those affected.
The National Weather Service (NWS, for its acronym in English) warned residents of Mississippi and neighboring Alabama of potential new “supercell storms” for this Sunday that could “produce some strong tornadoes and prolonged hail.”
Dozens of people have been injured and officials are warning that the death toll could rise.
Aerial images in Rolling Fork show homes smashed and trees uprooted from the ground.
The American Red Cross moved to the National Guard building in this town hours after the storm. Around 2,000 people reside here.
Rare storm, but very destructive
“I’m still not over what I saw,” said Stephanie Cox, an Oklahoma-based storm chaser who witnessed the tornado’s course in Mississippi.
Cox told the BBC that he was initially unable to determine how big and strong the storm would be. Then he heard a massive roar. Then lightning lit up what Cox described as a “monstrous” tornado.
“I’ve never seen one so violent or heard one roar like this, sound like a train coming at you,” Cox said.
The NWS estimates that the tornado, which began in western Mississippi late Friday after forming in the Mississippi River, traveled 94 kilometers and lasted about an hour and 10 minutes.
It formed from a supercell storm, a rotating storm where the updrafts and downdrafts are separate. It is caused by warm, unstable air near the ground and the change in wind speed and direction as altitude increases.
They are rare but very destructive storms, according to the NWS. They are also known to last longer than normal.
“It was the perfect conditions for the storm to last a long time and that’s not normally very common,” according to Lance Perrilloux, an NWS meteorologist in Jackson, Mississippi.
Cox and others described this phenomenon as a “wedge tornado,” an unofficial term used to describe tornadoes that appear to be wider than their length as they approach.
These are known for their devastating power as their width deals damage over a larger area.
The images of the destruction show this.
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