Mississippi Tornadoes Damage Hundreds of Homes Across Five Counties

Powerful storms that swept across southern Mississippi on May 7 damaged an estimated 500 homes and injured at least 17 people, according to state authorities. Meteorologists said the storms produced at least three tornadoes, with additional surveys underway to determine whether more touched down.

The storms struck after sunset on Wednesday, causing widespread destruction in Lincoln and Lamar counties. Debris closed Interstate 55 and several other roads in Lincoln County as emergency crews and residents began recovery efforts Thursday morning.

In Lamar County, officials reported approximately 275 homes damaged. Lincoln County reported at least 200 damaged homes, many concentrated in the rural community of Bogue Chitto.

Residents described homes being torn apart within seconds, with families sheltering in bathrooms, closets, and hallways as the tornadoes moved through residential areas.

At a trailer park in Bogue Chitto, most of the roughly two dozen homes were reduced to piles of splintered wood and twisted metal. Survivors searched through debris for personal belongings, including school backpacks, Bibles, jackets, and watches.

Krystal Miller said she and six other people, including infants as young as 4 weeks old, took shelter in a hallway after grabbing a Bible. The tornado lifted and rolled their trailer through the air.

“We just flipped, and it threw us all out,” Miller said. “It scattered everybody out.”

Miller said one child suffered facial injuries, while another remained in the hospital for monitoring. Despite the destruction, she said her family survived.

Elsewhere in Bogue Chitto, Dmell Burnes said he covered his 11-year-old daughter inside a closet as the tornado tore apart their home. Although the walls and roof came off the structure, the closet frame remained intact.

In Purvis, property owner Anunciata Schwebel watched the storm unfold over FaceTime while speaking with a tenant sheltering in a bathtub. She said windows shattered as the tornado ripped roofs and walls from a cluster of cottages she owned.

“We could see a line of people sitting in their tubs,” Schwebel said. “We thought people were dead.”

At Coaltown Baptist Church in Purvis, church members sheltered in a hallway during the storm. Meanwhile, 15-year-old Max Mahaffey said he and his grandmother moved from a bathroom to a living room couch after the roof of their home was torn away.

National Weather Service meteorologist Daniel Lamb said investigators will continue surveying affected areas to assess the full extent of the tornado activity and property damage.

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency coordinated response efforts, while volunteer rescue groups established temporary shelters and distributed supplies to displaced residents in Lincoln County.