Power Outage in Rolling Fork, MS

Tornado. This long track, violent tornado began over northern |Issaquena County near Grant Rd, downing multiple trees and damaging |two older outbuildings. It tracked northeastward, producing tree |damage as it crossed the Steele Bayou Canal before crossing into |Sharkey County. At this point, the tornado began to substantially |increase in size and intensity. A very high percentage of trees were |snapped along the path through a wooded area south of Bear Lake Rd. |It was in this wooded area where the first indications of EF3 to EF4 |damage were noted, with at least one tree and root ball and several |more large tree pieces fully displaced into the downstream field. |From this point along the path in Sharkey County, there was a well |defined confluence zone in damage along the center of the tornado |track. ||On the western outskirts of the city of Rolling Fork, homes began to |be impacted with significant roof damage along Bear Lake Rd. Several |tall wooden utility transmission poles were snapped along Bear |Lake Rd and MS Highway 826. Along Pinkins Rd, each structure along|the road, including several manufactured homes and two site built|homes, was demolished. Structures on the west end of the road |were scattered radially southeastward, and structures on the east |end of the road were scattered northward. An occupant of one of |the mobile homes was critically injured during the tornado and |eventually passed away nearly four weeks later. Debarking was |observed on several hardwood trees, with only stubs of the main |branches of some trees remaining. Crossing MS 826 and along |Fleetwood Rd, an older metal building was swept away, a small home|was destroyed and numerous manufactured homes were destroyed. ||As the tornado moved into the western side of Rolling Fork, the |tornadic wind field was broad, encompassing the area from Race St, |where exterior damage occurred to the Sharkey Issaquena Hospital, to |Bear Lake Rd on the south end where several utility poles were |snapped. The corridor of greatest damage on the west side of the |city, rated high end EF3, extended from 7th St between Martin Ave |and Joor Ave to 3rd St between Southern Ave and Lewis Ave. In this |area, multiple homes lost most exterior walls, several more lost |roofs and some walls, and even more received at least minor damage. |Two fatalities occurred along 7th St when a trailer truck was tossed |into a home. Through this corridor, additional debarking of trees |was noted near the center of the path. Brief and minor weakening |occurred as the tornado moved east of 3rd St and began to approach |Deer Creek, with EF2 damage still common. Along the creek, the |fire station, Rolling Fork Elementary School, and South Delta High|School all sustained roof and other exterior damage.||After the tornado crossed Deer Creek and began to move into the |downtown area of Rolling Fork, reintensification occurred. |Additional EF4 damage was noted in the block between Sharkey St and |Worthington Ave and north of Collette Ave where a home and a duplex |apartment were entirely demolished, with the foundation of the |duplex partially swept. Large metal buildings at an agriculture |business at the intersection of East St and West Ave were destroyed. |A fatality occurred when a mobile home along Worthington Ave was |destroyed. On Parkway Ave, a Masonic lodge was leveled and a gas |station was substantially damaged. ||The tornado then crossed Rolling Fork Creek, damaging and destroying |several structures along McLaurin St and China St. A water tower |east of Hicks Ave, which was in service at the time of the tornado, |was felled in a southeastward direction, perpendicular to the |tornado path. In the downtown area, the roof was removed from the |Rolling Fork US Post Office, portions of Rolling Fork City Hall, and |portions of the Rolling Fork Police Department. The Sharkey County |Courthouse received damage to the roof and some windows, with the |cupola removed. Additional EF4 damage was observed as the tornado |crossed Walnut St, with multiple homes and businesses having all or |most walls downed. One building in this corridor was compromised by |two tossed tractor trailers and another was compromised by a |southward facing metal door. A fatality occurred when a mobile home |off Sidney Alexander St north of Walnut St was destroyed.||The tornado reached its peak intensity as it approached US Highway |61 just north of Walnut St. Multiple brick homes along Mulberry St |were leveled, with debris remaining on the foundations. A discount |retail chain store was completely destroyed, with much of the debris |swept to the downstream side of the foundation and rowed along the |tornado path. Two people died at this location. A gift/floral shop |was destroyed, with most debris swept from the foundation. |Additional businesses, including a lumber/hardware store, two |restaurants, a furniture store, and an insurance agency were also |destroyed in this area. One occupant of a truck traveling along US |61 was killed when the tornado tossed his vehicle from the highway |to near the lumber/hardware store. A mobile/manufactured home park |on the east side of US 61 was devastated, with all 30-35 homes |destroyed. Considerable debris from these homes was rowed 300-400|yards downstream along the tornado path into an adjacent field |and stand of trees. Six occupants of these homes died in the |tornado.||The tornado remained strong to violent as it continued northeast of |Rolling Fork across mainly open fields. Through these fields, aerial |imagery revealed multiple areas of ground scarring. The tornado |crossed Matthews Rd near a catfish farm, where several utility poles |were snapped near the ground and covered in 1 to 2 inches of mud. |Some of the poles were tossed into nearby ponds. Prolific tree |damage occurred along Sandy Bayou, with a few buildings along the |outer edges of the path damaged and a tractor trailer flipped. |Another area of EF4 damage was observed from Widow Bayou and E River |Rd northeastward through Dogwood Rd and Linsey Rd. Through this |corridor, extraordinary hardwood tree damage occurred with most |trees completely mangled and debarking noted. There was additional |evidence of trees or large parts of trees being tossed or dragged a |short distance. Several utility poles were snapped, with some tossed |a short distance. An outbuilding type structure off Dogwood Rd was |blown away, with a school bus from the property tossed into nearby |trees. Ground scarring and cycloidal marks were observed in the |field between Dogwood Rd and Linsey Rd, along with mulched tree |debris which was rowed into a narrow line along the center of the |tornado path. Tree damage continued across Keith Rd and Charlie Pitt |Rd as the tornado approached MS Highway 14.||East of Anguilla along MS Highway 14, a frame home was completely|destroyed. Near the home, several power poles were snapped or |broken. Tree damage was extensive with large areas mowed down. A |tenth of a mile east, a mobile home was rolled into nearby trees. |Moving into Humphreys County, along Prudent Rd, most of the roof |was taken off of a home, where the garage collapsed along with a |portion of the front porch. One vehicle was flipped and another |was moved. A metal workshop was destroyed and structural beams |were bent. Along the road, several power poles were snapped and |thrown a couple hundred feet into a nearby field. As the tornado |approached and crossed Seven Mile Rd, intensity increased. Here, |several metal buildings were heavily damaged or destroyed with |structural beams bent. Grain bins had sides collapsed and the tops|blown off. A small brick home was completely destroyed with all |of the exterior walls collapsed. The home next door had a large |portion of the roof removed and part of a wall had collapsed. |Debris from the home was thrown several hundred feet into a nearby|field. Vehicles were moved out of the garage and a large grain |storage cart was thrown into the field as well. ||For several miles, the tornado traveled along MS Highway 149 |moving toward Silver City where large areas of hardwood trees were|snapped and uprooted. Multiple center pivot irrigation systems |were flipped. A mobile home was completely destroyed when it was |rolled into a nearby field. A portion of the roof was blown off a |school. A community along the same road had several homes with |significant roof damage, and at least one home had decking |material partially removed. Several homes and a large metal |building were severely damaged when portions of the roof were |blown off. A second metal building was completely destroyed with |large structural posts bent. ||As the tornado came into Silver City from the west along Highway |149, an apartment complex was heavily damaged. Several buildings |had sections of the roof removed and one building had portions of |the western walls partially collapsed. A fatality occurred in one|of the single story apartment buildings. In the nearby |neighborhood, numerous homes had roof damage. At least two frame |homes were destroyed where one or more exterior walls collapsed. A|large number of old hardwood trees were snapped or uprooted. As |the storm moved east toward US 49W, more trees were snapped and |uprooted. Several homes and a church near the intersection of |MS Highway 14 and US 49W had areas of the roof damaged or |removed. Four mobile homes were completely destroyed. One person |died when a mobile home was tossed into a house, and a child died|in one of the mobile homes that was destroyed. Numerous trees |were snapped and uprooted, a few of which fell on homes. The |rating in the Silver City area ranged from EF1-EF2. ||The tornado continued to track east where mostly tree damage |occurred. In rural portions of Holmes County northeast of Tchula, |there was substantial tree damage with swaths of snapped and |uprooted trees. Several center pivot irrigation systems were |overturned and grain bins were flipped or destroyed. The tornado |continued to move northeast before dissipating in a wooded area |north of Randall Road.

March 24, 2023

Thunderstorm Wind. A tree was uprooted and fell across a power line on North 1st Street.

August 20, 2018

Strong Wind. A tree was blown down on power lines.

November 17, 2015

Ice Storm. Over a quarter inch of ice accumulated on trees and power lines all across Sharkey County.

February 11, 2014

Ice Storm. Video showed that between a quarter and a half inch of ice accumulated on trees and power lines. At least one car accident occurred due to icy bridges.

January 15, 2013

@AOC Under HIPPA, a hospital had to have a generator online in two seconds during a power outage, why not a prison? People are people.

@netconcepts - February 05, 2019 09:56