This handout photo obtained April 13, 2020 courtesy of the City of Monroe, Louisiana shows the aftermath of storm damage. Picture: Handout / The City of Monroe / AFP
Tornadoes ripped through the southern United States, killing at least 11 people in Mississippi and leaving behind splintered buildings and downed powerlines, officials said on Monday.
Twisters caused catastrophic damage in some places on Easter Sunday as powerful storms moved through a region stretching from Texas to Georgia, prompting the National Weather Service to issue its highest level of tornado alert.
Images from the region showed lines of smashed, roofless houses where tornadoes had blasted through.
Aircraft parked at a regional airport in Monroe, Louisiana were piled on top of each other.
“By the grace of God, early reports show only a few minor injuries,” Monroe Mayor Jamie Mayo said on Twitter.
In neighboring Mississippi, however, at least 11 people were killed, according to the state’s emergency management agency.
Five other people were reported to have been killed when tornadoes hit a mobile home park near the Georgia-Tennessee border, according to the Weather Channel.
Over 1.3 million electricity customers were without power after the storms went through, reported PowerOutage.US.
The governors of Mississippi and Louisiana declared states of emergency in their respective jurisdictions.
“The damage is devastating and is a good reminder that everyone should stay weather aware,” Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards said on Twitter.
Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves tweeted that he had declared a state of emergency “to protect the health and safety of Mississippians in response to the severe tornadoes and storms hitting across the state.”
“We are mobilizing all resources available to protect our people and their property,” Reeves said, telling residents “you are not alone.”
Earlier on Sunday, Reeves urged residents to take the “severe storms very seriously.”
“Please take precautions to keep your family safe.”
He later retweeted a message from the state disaster agency reminding people to cover their noses and mouths and practice social distancing to prevent the spread of coronavirus if they had to go to public storm shelters.
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