This article or section is undergoing significant expansion or restructuring. You are welcome to assist in its construction by editing it as well. If this article or section has not been edited in several days, please remove this template. If you are actively editing this article or section, you can replace this template with {{in use|5 minutes}}.This article was last edited by GrenadinesDes(talk | contribs) 4 seconds ago. (Updatetimer)
2010 Yazoo City tornado
Clockwise from top: The tornado taken near Holly Bluff after crossing the Mississippi River. The town sign for Yazoo City, Mississippi, along with the ruins of a large brick building. Doppler radar imagery of the tornado near peak intensity with a debris ball evident on reflectivity.
During the morning hours of April 24,2010,a massive,long-tracked,and devastating tornado,sometimes referred to as the Yazoo City tornado,[1] inflicted significant to major destruction to several towns and communities across Louisiana and Mississippi,including to southern parts of Yazoo City,resulting in ten fatalities and injuring 162 people during its 152.66mi (245.68km) path,along with losses of $409.8 million (2010 USD). The tornado occurred during the tornado outbreak of April 22–25,2010,and was the deadliest tornado of the outbreak. The tornado was also considered the worst natural disaster to occur in Mississippi since Hurricane Katrina almost five years prior.[2]
The intense supercell produced the tornado a few miles east of Tallulah and almost immediately intensified to EF3 strength,maintaining that intensity before crossing the Mississippi River. The tornado briefly weakened before strengthening back to EF3 intensity. The tornado intensified further to low-end EF4 south Yazoo City. Several homes and businesses were demolished and heavy deforestation occurred. The tornado soon weakened to high-end EF3 intensity and maintained that strength before restrengthening to low-end EF4 intensity few miles southwest of Durant. Following this period of restrengthening,the tornado weakened,fluctuating between EF1 and EF2 strength before strengthening back to high-end EF3 intensity in southern Choctaw County. The tornado rapidly weakened before lifting north of Sturgis.
The tornado became the fourth longest in Mississippi history,and was,at the time,the largest tornado in the state's history. Alongside that,the tornado was the deadliest tornado to occur in Mississippi since November 21,1992,when another long tracked and violent tornado killed 12 after striking several communities. The tornado was,at the time,the ninth deadliest tornado in Mississippi on record and the first violent tornado to happen in Mississippi during April since 1978.[3][4] Hundreds of homes and businesses along the tornado's path were damaged or destroyed,and severe agricultural and timber damage were inflicted.
After the tornado,President Barack Obama declared a major disaster in Mississippi,while Governor of Mississippi,Haley Barbour,declared a state of emergency for the counties affected by the tornado,with him visiting the devastated areas few days later. State officials,several organizations and local non-profits,including The Salvation Army and multiple churches,arrived in areas devastated by the tornado,especially in Yazoo City,helping in the relief and recovery efforts. Afterwards,several businesses and homes were rebuilt,including a chemical plant near Omega in Louisiana and a Baptist church in Yazoo City that were completely destroyed by the tornado.
Meteorological setup
On April 20,Storm Prediction Center highlighted a Day 5 risk for the lower Mississippi River basin region for April 24,with an environment that corresponds with the Day 4 risk forecasted for April 23;a favorable kinematic and thermodynamic environment possibly near or ahead of an advancing front. While large hail and damaging winds was expected,a moist boundary layer and strong wind shear indicated potential tornadic activities.[5] On April 22,the SPC issued a slight risk,with a 30% hatched risk issued. A large upper-level trough was forecasted to slowly move across the central United States and center over Illinois,with strong southwesterly flow aloft forecasted to spread across the Mississippi Valley into the Gulf Coast Region. Within the area south of the Ohio Valley,a moist and destabilizing airmass combined with strong wind field spreading across the region suggesting severe weather potential. Low-level and deep layer shear was forecasted to support tornadic supercells,with surface dewpoints expected to be up to mid-60s/low-70s.[6]
High risk for severe weather being issued by the Storm Prediction Center
On April 24,an upper-level storm system strengthened as it moved from Texas to the southern Great Lakes Region. A cold front moved eastward across the middle and lower Mississippi River Valley before heading into the Ohio River Valley. The system stretched into the Mid-South portion of the United States. In front of the cold front,a warm,moist,and unstable air mass spread northward from the lower Mississippi River Valley and northern Gulf Coast States into the middle Mississippi and Ohio River Valleys. There were already thunderstorms that had formed during the morning hours,and the conditions would only become more numerous throughout the day. This set the stage for a significant severe weather outbreak with the potential for strong and violent tornadoes,large hail,and damaging winds.[7] As a result,the Storm Prediction Center issued a rare high risk of severe weather for portions of Mississippi,Alabama,Tennessee,and Kentucky,the first such issuance since April 26,2009.[8] Four "particularly dangerous situation" tornado watches were issued that day for areas of Missouri,Kentucky,Illinois,Arkansas,Louisiana,Mississippi,Tennessee,and Alabama.[9]
At 10:28 a.m. CDT,a couple of large thunderstorms began demonstrating supercell characteristics,with the storms expected to moving into Alabama throughout the late morning hours,with dew points reaching the upper 60. Large scale ascent was forecasted to continue downstream of the upper-level storm system,though there were still some uncertainty on where more storms will develop,with the expectations for it to be over the destabilizing warm sector over the lower Mississippi valley and spreading across central to southern Mississippi,eastern Louisiana,and southern Alabama. The area most favorable for significant tornado possibilities was expected over central and northern Mississippi,though favorable low-level wind shear and a moist and unstable boundary layer was expected to maintain the possibilities of strong tornadoes across southern Mississippi,Alabama,and eastern Louisiana through the afternoon as discrete supercells development was expected to begin ahead of the developing QLCS.[10]
At 11:30 a.m. CDT,the SPC issued a PDS tornado watch across the several states,with a high probability of tornadoes and EF2+ tornadoes. Destructive tornadoes was expected,along with large hail and strong thunderstorms,with wind gust up to 80mph (130km/h). The surface low located over Arkansas was undergoing rapid deepening as a strong,shortwave trough rotate across the area. SPC noted that tornadic supercells were already in progress across Mississippi,with powerful wind shear profiles expected to spread north and east. Additionally,a rapidly moving squall line was moving across northern Arkansas,forecasted to evolve into a strong QLCS with intense,damaging winds.[10]
Tornado summary
Louisiana
Complex Chemical Plant suffering complete destruction at EF3 intensity.
The tornado touched down in Madison Parish,few miles west of Tallulah. The tornado quickly intensified to low-end EF3 intensity,downing a couple high-tension power poles along I-20,carving cycloidal marks on the ground,and flipping a tractor trailer and injuring the driver. The tornado continued travelling northeast through rural areas,carving more cycloidal marks onto fields and snapping trees and power poles along Highway 80. The tornado intensified to mid-range EF3 strength crossing Willow Bayou Road. Several homes were heavily damaged,multiple vehicles and tractors were damaged and trees were snapped.[11] Maintaining EF3 intensity,The tornado crossed Parker Road,causing intense ground scarring. Couple of framed homes sustained moderate roof damage and a double-wide mobile home was leveled. The tornado crossed Willow Bayou Road at low-end EF3 intensity,knocking and snapping an electrical transmission tower. A mobile home was destroyed,several homes experienced complete loss of their exterior walls,a home was completely unroofed,and several trees were snapped or uprooted.[12]
The tornado maintained EF3 intensity,carving cycloidal marks onto open fields. Crossing Highway 65 and Levee Road,the tornado passed just south of the community of Omega,destroying the Complex Chemical Company plant,where approximately 14 employees were working at the time,all the employees survived,though three received minor injuries. All of the warehouses,the electrical infrastructure of the plant,and the office areas on site were destroyed,the piping system sustained severe damage and communications went offline. Three rail cars were rolled off their track,seven storage tanks were overturned,a crane was completely crumpled,and several inches of spilled materials strewn across the site.[11][13] Soon the tornado crossed the Mississippi River into Mississippi.[12]
Mississippi
High-end EF2 damage to home leveled near Eagle Bend,Mississippi.
The tornado weakened back down to mid-range EF2 intensity entering Warren County. Numerous hardwood trees were snapped or uprooted east of the Mississippi River. The tornado briefly crossed Eagle Lake before impacting a neighborhood west of Eagle Bend at high-end EF2 intensity. A home was mostly leveled along Sea Island Drive. Several substandard homes were heavily damaged or destroyed,a couple of homes were unroofed,and several trees were snapped. The tornado briefly entering back into Louisiana before re-entering back into Mississippi,moving into Issaquena County.[14][12] The tornado made a sharp northward turn,weakening down to EF1 intensity,snapping several hardwood trees before strengthening slightly to low-end EF2 intensity south of Cypress Lake. The tornado traversed U.S. Route 61 south of Valley Park,intensifying to high-end EF2 intensity,snapping and uprooting a prolific amount of trees in the Delta National Forest and destroying an outbuilding along the highway,cutting through the extreme southeastern portion of Sharkey County.[15][16]
The tornado entered Yazoo County,weakening down to EF1 intensity,mainly uprooting trees before restrengthening back to mid-range EF2 intensity. A home along Satartia Road sustained significant roof damage and a utility building near the home was demolished.[12][17] The tornado slightly weakened to high-end EF1 intensity,snapping several trees along Lake George. The tornado tore through the southern parts of Panther Swamp National Wildfire Refuge,intensifying to high-end EF2 damage. Several trees were snapped and razed. The tornado weakened slightly to low-end EF2 intensity,snapping multiple trees along Yazoo River and inflicting minimal roof damage to a home. The tornado crossed Highway 3 north of Satartia,with estimated windspeeds up to 120mph (190km/h). Numerous trees were snapped and uprooted,a couple of outbuilding were demolished,several homes along the highway sustained moderate roof damage.[12]
Around the same time,an intense tornado debris signature was evident on doppler radar alongside an intense velocity couplet,these signature led to an issuance of a tornado emergency for Yazoo City at 12:11 p.m CDT.[18] The tornado crossed Judkins Road at high-end EF2 intensity. Several trees were snapped,two mobile homes were dislodge from their units and were rolled,a framed home had most of their roof ripped away,a couple of homes sustained moderate roof damage and a single-wide mobile home was destroyed. A 31-year-old mother here was killed after shielding her three grandchildren underneath a mattress,who survived the tornado.[19] The tornado weakened slightly to EF1 intensity crossing Ridge Road. Dozens of homes experienced minor to moderate structural damage. The tornado crossed Center Ridge Road,intensifying to high-end EF2 strength. Multiple trees were snapped,a one-story brick home was mostly unroofed,and two other homes sustained severe roof damage.[12] The tornado weakened to mid-range EF2 intensity,crossing Woodland Road. A couple of homes suffered significant roof damage,with a few other homes experiencing moderate roof damage,and an outbuilding sustained major roof damage. The tornado reached a peak width of 3,080yd (2,820m) along the intersection of Highway 49 and Highway 16,becoming the largest tornado on record in Mississippi,until the record was beaten by an extremely large and violent tornado almost ten years later.[20]
The Hillcrest Baptist Church was completely destroyed at low-end EF4 intensity.
The tornado strengthened significantly,impacting areas along Learsville Road. Two metal building systems were completely leveled at mid-range EF3 intensity,a nearby automobile showroom had significant portions of its roof ripped away,a single-wide mobile home was destroyed,a home experienced moderate structural damage,and an outbuilding was mostly unroofed.[12] The tornado reached peak intensity at low-end EF4 strength with windspeeds up to 170mph (270km/h). Along Bus Station Road,The Hillcrest Baptist Church was completely destroyed,with the steel I-beams bent. One man was inside the church when the tornado struck,he survived with minor injuries after hiding underneath an altar.[21] Several hardwood trees nearby the church were severely debarked and denuded. A Mississippi Department Of Transportation maintenance building nearby was partially destroyed,with parts of its exterior and interior walls collapsing. A metal storage building adjacent to the maintenance building was destroyed. A 5,000lb (2,300kg) concrete reinforced awning block was torn out of the ground and thrown 100yd (91m) away. An outbuilding nearby was completely destroyed. Half of a funeral home was destroyed,another metal building system experienced total destruction. A Peebles department store was impacted by the tornado,the manage and 15 other customers were inside around the time the tornado struck,with the customers being taken to shelter in the back of the store,no injuries were reported.[22] The Ribeye's Steakhouse sustained significant roof damage and a small outbuilding was destroyed.[12][3]
The tornado slightly weakened to mid-range EF3 intensity,crossing Old Benton Road. A poorly built home was leveled at estimated windspeeds of 155mph (249km/h). A home along the road was mostly leveled,with a few interior walls left standing.[12][3] Multiple homes nearby sustained total loss to their exterior walls,several other homes sustained significant to severe roof loss,a double-wide mobile was destroyed and two other mobile homes were dislodge and rolled off their units. Outbuildings were destroyed,hardwood trees was snapped and debarked. The tornado continued northeast,weakening down to high-end EF2 intensity. A pool house/storage shed experienced major destruction,with most of the building collapsing,and several trees snapped.[12] The tornado traveled through forested areas,where intense forestry damage were noted. A couple of mobile homes were destroyed,a framed home sustained significant roof damage,and another home was heavily damaged. The tornado crossed Powell Road at high-end EF2. A double-wide mobile home was destroyed,several trees were significantly snapped,and a home along Fouche Pit Road sustained significant roof damage.[12][3] Another mobile home was demolished along the intersection of Mollett Road and Breakwater Drive,with several trees snapped and uprooted nearby. For the rest of Yazoo County;more prolific tree damage occurred,with several of them snapping,mobile homes were demolished,and multiple framed homes sustained significant structural damage.[12][3] Throughout Yazoo County,the tornado killed four people and 53 others were injured,all the fatalities occurring in mobile homes. The tornado crossed into Holmes County.[3][23]
Entering Holmes County,the tornado weakened down to low-end EF2 intensity and narrowed down slightly to 2,600yd (2,400m) in width. The tornado traversed through rural areas of Holmes County,causing extensive tree damage before impacting areas around of the community of Ebenezer at high-end EF2 intensity. A church sanctuary north of the community was destroyed,several trees were snapped,and mobile homes were demolished. A 70-year-old man was killed when his mobile home along Ebenezer Road was demolished.[24][23] The tornado strengthened slightly to estimated windspeeds of up to 134mph (216km/h) along Newport Road,demolishing a mobile,inflicting extensive tree damage,and snapping power poles. The tornado makes a sharp eastward turn,intensifying to low-end EF3 strength crossing Springhill Road. A single-wide mobile home was destroyed,with another framed home significantly damage and severe forestry damage. The tornado intensified further after crossing Pickens-Garnett Road,mostly leveling a brick home at estimated windspeeds of 155mph (249km/h). A home nearby had most of its exterior walls collapsed,another home was unroofed and had significant exterior walls,couple of mobile homes were destroyed,and trees were snapped. The tornado intensified to high-end EF3 strength,traversing through areas south of Franklin. A well-built brick home was mostly leveled,leaving a few walls left standing. Several trees nearby were snapped or debarked,an outbuilding was demolished,and numerous powerlines were snapped.[24][12]
Brick home near Franklin,Mississippi leveled at low-end EF4 intensity
After weakening back down to mid-range EF2 intensity,the tornado became violent for the second time. A brick home along Horton Road was leveled. A single-wide mobile home nearby was demolished and several trees were snapped or uprooted. The tornado crossed I-55 south of Durant,weakening back to an low-end EF2 intensity,snapping trees and several vehicles were blown off the highway before exiting Holmes County.[12][24][25] The tornado then entered Attala County,weakening down to EF1 intensity,snapping or uprooting several hardwood and softwood trees,before strengthening back to EF2 intensity,numerous trees were snapped. The tornado intensified slightly after passing south of Possumneck at mid-range EF2 intensity;unroofing significant portions of a home,snapping trees,and power lines.[26][12] The tornado weakened to high-end EF1 strength;snapping and uprooting several trees,demolishing outbuilding,and inflicting moderate roof damage. The tornado briefly intensified to mid-range EF2 strength in Hesterville,causing significant roof damage to a couple of homes. The tornado went through rural forested area at high-end EF1 intensity. The tornado intensified to low-end EF2 strength,snapping wooden power poles and softwood trees after crossing Natchez Trace Parkway. The tornado weakened to EF1 intensity before strengthening back to mid-range EF2 status south of French Camp,inflicting major damage to a small home along County Road 2133.[12]
High-end EF3 damage to well-built home near French Camp,Mississippi.
Entering Choctaw County,the tornado maintained mid-range EF2 intensity,mainly snapping and uprooting trees. Along Highway 413,east of French Camp,the tornado intensified to high-end EF3 strength with estimated wind speeds between 165mph (266km/h),mostly demolishing a well-built home,with a few interior walls left standing. A Crossroads Grocery was completely destroyed as the cinderblock structure collapsed. The owner,his wife,and four other people sheltered in the store's freezer when the tornado struck,everyone survived with minor injuries. A steel storage fuel tank was uprooted from the ground and threw into the store and rest against the door of the freezer.[12][27] Two well-built homes had most of their exterior walls collapse,multiple of homes had significant roof damage,and several trees snapped. The tornado weakened slightly to mid-range EF3 intensity crossing Stewart Weir Road,mostly leveling the exterior walls of a one story home. A communication tower collapsed,a single-wide mobile home was destroyed,an outbuilding was demolished,and the Millsprings Church and its buildings sustained considerable roof damage. The tornado crossed the intersection of White and Prewitt Cemetery Road,demolishing several mobile homes at mid-range EF2 intensity,inflicting significant roof damage to a home,and significant timber damage.[12]
The tornado impacted a neighborhood along Pisgah and Dotson Roads at mid-range EF3 intensity,inflicting severe devastation to the neighborhood. Dozens mobile homes and conventional foundation homes were completely demolished and multiple vehicles were thrown into the tree line. Two poorly-built homes were leveled,a one-story home was mostly leveled,with a few interior walls left standing,a poorly-constructed home was shifted off its foundation,and several trees were significant snapped. Five people were killed in this neighborhood.[28] Afterwards,the tornado weakened to an EF2 intensity,causing heavy tree damage. The tornado struck the community of Chester at high-end EF1 intensity,destroying outbuilding and inflicting moderate damage to the Chester Baptist Church and homes.[12] The tornado crossed Pensacola Road,intensifying to mid-range EF2 strength,ripping away most of a roof from a brick home and snapping trees. The tornado make an eastward turn,downing metal poles along Ecoplex Road. The tornado crossed Highway 9 at low-end EF2 intensity,snapping numerous trees along the highway. The tornado traveled a few more miles through Oktibbeha County as a weakening tornado. The tornado dissipated few miles north of Sturgis.[29]
In total,The tornado traveled 152.66mi (245.68km) and had a peak width of 3,080yd (2,820m),making it the largest in Mississippi at the time. The tornado was also the fourth-longest tracked on record in Mississippi.[28] On April 25,the National Weather Service office at Jackson,Mississippi surveying team preliminarily rated the tornado high-end EF3,with estimated windspeeds of 160mph (260km/h),with an initial width of 1.5 miles (2,600yd) and an initial track that began in Eagle Bend,through Yazoo City,to the border of Yazoo and Holmes counties.[30] Later on at 9:30 P.M. CDT,NWS upgraded the tornado to low-end EF4,with windspeeds up to 170mph (270km/h),with the path length starting from Tallulah and ending near Durant,making a path length of 97 miles (156km),and the path width increasing to 1.75 miles (3,080yd) with being noted that surveyors were still investigating the damage in Choctaw County with yet to be determined on whether or not it was one continuous tornado.[31] Later in the evening of April 26,the track of the tornado further extended to 149 miles (240km).[32]
Case studies
On July 1,2025,two researchers from the Florida State University's Department of Geography,Tyler Fricker and James B. Elsner,published a study looking into kinetic energy released by tornadoes when inflicting significant destruction,using total kinetic energy (TKE) as a metric of destruction estimated from the fraction of the tornado path,which is obtained from a model developed for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission that combines theory with factual data. Half of all tornadoes have TKE exceeding 62.1 gigajoule and a quarter have TKE exceeding 383.2 gigajoule. One percent of the tornadoes have TKE exceeding 31.9 terajoule. TKE was computed for all 8,752 tornadoes within the Storm prediction center's database between 2007–2013. With more weaker tornadoes than stronger ones,the values were heavily skewed,with a median TKE of 62.1 gigajoules and a interquartile range between 9.1 and 383.2 gigajoules. The tornado with the highest energy was the Yazoo City tornado,with a TKE of 516.7 terajoules.[33]
Impacts &aftermath
List of fatalities directly attributed to the tornado[34][3][12][28]
Stella Martin, 78 (Yazoo County)
Elizabeth Carpenter, 31 (Yazoo County)
James Harrison, 64 (Yazoo County)
Carlton Gould, 51 (Yazoo County)
Esley Brown, 70 (Holmes County)
Andra Patterson, 3 months (Choctaw County)
Tyanna Jobe, 9 (Choctaw County)
Brittany Jobe, 9 (Choctaw County)
Mary Yates, 58 (Choctaw County)
Bobby Yates, 58 (Choctaw County)
Overall, the tornado caused $36 million in damage in Louisiana and injured 16 people.[11] The tornado did $373.5 million in damage and killed ten and injured 146 people in Mississippi across several counties.[14] In Yazoo City, more than 160 homes received moderate to major damage, with 107 homes destroyed.[35] Overall, the tornado affected 556 homes, 242 manufactured homes, 33 businesses and 18 agricultural areas, with 283 of them were destroyed.[36]
State insurance commissioner Mike Chaney stated the insurance estimates would likely be more than $50 million after he toured by helicopter over the disaster area. Chaney also stated that 90% of homes in Yazoo County were insured, but another 90% in Holmes County was uninsured. Insurance company, State Farm, reported that they've received over 360 claims on auto and home damage in Mississippi after the tornado.[37][38] A few companies and the Insurance Department set up centers at a Sunflower Food store in Yazoo City to answer questions and process claims. Nationwide spokeswomen reported that 35 claims were placed by Monday and she also stated that the company wasn't planning on adding temporary claims center in the state. Mississippi Farm Bureau's office in Yazoo City were serving customers, with the company's claims director reporting that more than 390 reports of property losses were recorded to the bureau.[38] Parts of State Highway 3 in Yazoo County, and State Highways 14 and 17 in Holmes County were closed due to fallen trees and other damage. University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson saw 27 patients, with a couple of them from Yazoo City were airlifted to the hospital, with 14 of the patients being in critical condition. King's Daughter Hospital also reported receiving injured people.[39]
Linemen working on restoring power to the residents of the affected town.
Electricity company, Entergy, reported that the tornado caused extensive damage to Entergy facilities, leaving 1,500 Entergy customers without power, with 457 in Yazoo County, 338 in Holmes County, and 319 customers in Attala County, with Entergy predicting power to be fully restored in Yazoo County by Wednesday, April 28, while everyone in Holmes County should get power back by the April 27, and the majority of everyone else the day after the tornado. Entergy sent 75 company line workers and support personnel to Mississippi to help restore power to customers. Electric Power Association reported 18,000 of their customers were without power, which lowered to 1,700, with 800 customers in Yazoo County and 600 in Holmes County.[40][41] The tornado caused over $3 million in damage for the Association.[42]
After the tornado, it was revealed that tornado sirens in Warren County failed to sound before the tornado struck the Eagle Bend area. The head of the Warren County Emergency Operations Center, Gwen Coleman, claimed that she arrived at the office right as the tornado struck the town and didn't have time to activate the sirens manually. Despite that, the residents in Eagle Bend would've most likely not heard the sirens since the closest one to the town was 4 miles (6.4km) away since Warren county lacked the money available to erect a tornado siren near the Eagle Bend area. Warren county officials were working on a grant to purchase weather radios to distribute to residents. In Holmes County, at least one tornado siren failed to sound, with residents in Durant recounting that they haven't heard the siren go off in over a year. Officials in Durant applied for a grant to replace the old siren, but it was rejected.[43]
Response
Governor of Mississippi, Haley Barbour, declared a state of emergency for the areas impacted by the tornado across seven counties. Spokesman for the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), Greg Flynn, claimed that the death toll for the tornado could've been higher, if not for the vigil warning by the National Weather Service and improved response systems placed in after Hurricane Katrina.[44] On April 29, President Barack Obama declared a major disaster for Mississippi, allocating federal aid to support state and local recovery efforts to the areas affected by the tornado, opening federal funding to people in several counties, including Attala, Choctaw, Holmes, Warren and Yazoo Counties. Federal funding was also available for state and local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations in Yazoo and Choctaw counties to use for debris removal and for the state to use for 72 hours to choose emergency protective measures. The declaration also noted that FEMA were continuing with damage surveying in other areas, with the expectations that more counties and additional forms of assistances would likely be designated after the surveying completed.[45]
Rescuers initially struggled to enter Yazoo City due to the widespread destruction in a city that was along the Mississippi Delta, according to the governor spokesperson. Helicopters were overhead to assess the damage as rapid response teams searched for victims. American Medical Response continued their operations in other parts of Mississippi, dispatching ambulances to affected areas. The Rankin County Emergency Management Agency dispatched a bus that was converted to a multi-patient ambulance. Injuries ranged from minor to severe, according to American Medical Response spokesman.[46] Barbour visited parts of Yazoo County that got devastated and told the Associated Press there was "utter obliteration" in parts of the county that got hit, with the destruction reminding him of Katrina. Later he recounted, "The effects of these storms have left many Mississippians with destroyed businesses and without homes".[47]
40 Mississippi National Guard soldiers patrolled around Yazoo City, with state troopers and other law enforcement officers joining to help.[48] The state set up a command post along Highway 49 in Yazoo City, with the state also activating a 25-person rapid response team from Hattiesburg capable in search and rescue operations.[39] State officials set up at the Mississippi State Fair to take donations of take donations of bottled water and imperishable food for the relief effort. A team of 14 deputy fire marshals were sent to disaster zones over the weekend to watchout for looters, though there was only minor cases of looting in Holmes County.[38] In Hinds County, the sheriff department set up an 18-wheeler truck to also accept imperishable food, water bottles, clothing, bedding and other items to aid in relief efforts for storm victims. The sheriff department also announced they've sent out two dozen deputies and 100 inmates to help clear debris in Yazoo County in response to the tornado.[41][22]
Clean up efforts at a destroyed supermarket in Yazoo City on April 29.
Immediately after the tornado occurred, storm chase and meteorologist, Reed Timmer, and his chase partner Joel Taylor of Tornadovideos.net, were documenting the tornado entering town. Afterwards, the storm chasers began aiding and rescuing anyone trapped under rubble and bringing medics to the scene.[49] Over the next couple of days, rescue efforts spread into the rural areas of Mississippi as the federal government and American Red Cross dispatched rescue teams to the disaster zone, with tarps, meals, and water being distributed to victims as officials requested for volunteers to help coordinate efforts in debris removal.[40]The Salvation Army arrived in Yazoo City, serving 4,500 hot meals for residents impacted by the tornado.[50] MEMA offered housing to the victims who lost their homes, using cottages that were originally built for the victims of Katrina and the cottages were available for victims eligible to acquire a cottage in all the disaster declared counties.[51] Private ambulance company, American Medical Response of Central Mississippi, provider of ambulance services in Yazoo County, set up a triage center in Yazoo City, with the spokesman for American Medical Response stating, "Many patients were brought out on four-wheelers because trees were down, buildings were down, streets were difficult to drive in".[44]
A Lowe's store in Madison received customers from Yazoo and Holmes counties to purchase essentials, including generators and lumber items. An ACE Hardware store in Yazoo City remained open to assist customers, with first responders and customers receiving tarp, generators, chain saws, batteries and duct tape, leading to a significant depletion in stock for the store, though the store manager stated that trucks from Mobile were bringing fresh supplies to the store. In Holmes County, the hardware store Lexington Home Center experienced high demand for supplies like plywood, roofing shingles, windows and pipes, leading to most of the items being sold out.[38]
Central Mississippi chapter opened a shelter with supplies as well as emergency response vehicles, other places like L.T. Miller Community Center in Yazoo City, opened up as shelters.[52] Local volunteer group, Operation Ukraine, and other volunteers traveled to Yazoo City, with a truck loaded with supplies and essentials, including six pallets of bottled water and first-aid supplies, to the Broadway Church of Christ, serving as the official distribution site of the disaster area.[53] The Yazoo City Church of Christ administered 184,000 water bottles over the span of a couple days. Another church from Jackson, and churches from other states, including Arkansas and Kentucky arrived to aid in the recovery effort.[54] Housing Assistance Council provided $10,000 in loan to the Esther Stewart Buford Foundation for the purchase of new construction equipment. The foundation made emergency shelter, clothing, and essential supplies to victims of the tornado, with state, county, and local officials joining in the effort to help residents.[55]
An emergency volunteer response center was established in Yazoo City by the Mississippi Commission for Volunteer Service. The Lutheran Episcopal Service in Mississippi (LESM) immediately began assisting in the relief efforts. The Director of Disaster Preparedness and Response with LESM have stated that the coordinated effort helped organized the ability to place volunteers where they're needed. Mississippi Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster was also holding conference calls with other member organizations to collaborate and coordinate response efforts, with LESM sending an assessment and emergency clean up team to tornado damaged areas to assist with debris removal. St. Mary's Episcopal Church started working relief effort in Holmes County, serving meals in the Ebenezer area to victims and relief workers.[56]
Recovery
After the tornado, majority of the spilled materials at the Complex Chemical plant were pumped into temporary tanks for disposal. Contractors were hired and heavy equipment was rented for debris removal across the site. Complex rented out trailers as temporary office spaces, multiple large containers were also brought in as temporary warehouses to store raw materials and products as production was outsourced to several areas. Key areas of the plant, like the blending and distillation units, were powered by one of the 13 large generators rented out by Complex. By June 14, all Complex plant's 11 processing units were operating at 90% capacity and productivity, though debris was still present on the plant. Afterwards, a larger office building separate from the plant was constructed, along with the construction of one large warehouse, a new electrical system, a large steel enclosure to protect the distillation and oil blending units, which were rebuilt to include a truck loading area.[13]
Army Corps of Engineers assisting with the debris removal at a debris dump site.
The Mississippi Department of Mental Health and Warren Yazoo Mental Health Service collaborated to organized a stress management seminar at the Yazoo County High School, where several mental health professionals were gathered to help tornado victims and first responders cope from the trauma resulting from the tornado and the aftermath, though no victims or first responders came to the mental health seminar despite the advertisement for the event.[57] Months after the tornado happened, most of the debris has been cleared out and new power lines were installed.[58] Three months after the tornado, nearly 69.1 million tons of debris were removed across five counties, according to the United States Army Corps of Engineers. Emergency management director for Choctaw County stated that the locals have become fearful of severe weather after the tornado and that 15 families were staying in FEMA trailer homes set up at a recreational vehicle park in the county, with many other moving into FEMA cottage homes. Contractors installed new power poles and volunteers helped with home repairs. MEMA reported that Federal Emergency Management Agency awarded nearly $3.3 million in individual assistance, and 849 applications for the aid were submitted. The Small Business Association made $2.4 million in loans, mostly for home repairs. 22 members of the Saint Pius X youth ministry disaster relief team helped rebuild homes in Yazoo City.[59]
A year after the tornado, 90% of the damaged homes in Yazoo City was repaired and rebuilt, with many businesses like the Ribeye Steakhouse and Just My Style spa repaired and reopened soon after the tornado.[2][59] On November 21, 2011, the Hillcrest Baptist Church successfully rebuilt, with the church holding a dedication ceremony for the church's revival. The church was rebuilt debt free due to donation, with the estimated cost of reconstruction being $1.5 million.[60]
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
