Tornado damage updates in Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi: What we know about storms in Mid-South

Memphis Commercial Appeal
·3 min read
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A storm system that rumbled across the South and Midwest on Friday has claimed at least 29 lives, according to reports as of Sunday afternoon.

Confirmed or suspected tornadoes in at least eight states tore a path of destruction that leveled homes, crumbled schools and left communities reeling.

Here is a look at what we know about fatalities and damage in Tennessee, Arkansas and Mississippi.

Tennessee tornado damage

First Baptist Church of Selmer's north campus in Selmer, Tenn., is seen on Saturday April 1, 2023, after a severe storm hit the area the night before.
First Baptist Church of Selmer's north campus in Selmer, Tenn., is seen on Saturday April 1, 2023, after a severe storm hit the area the night before.

Nine residents of McNairy County died in the storms and several others were injured, officials reported. Four of the fatalities were in the same structure in the Rose Creek area, said McNairy County Mayor Larry Smith. At least 72 houses were destroyed, he said. Three storm cells hit McNairy County Friday night, taking almost exactly the same path, causing damage to 35-40% of the county, officials said Saturday.

The storm that slammed into Covington and Tipton County left one dead and 28 others injured, authorities there said Saturday. Crestview Elementary and Middle in Covington suffered significant damage. A chunk of the elementary building was pulled off, leaving the gymnasium exposed, and Tipton County Schools Superintendent John Combs said the inside of the middle was also severely damaged. Neither will hold classes on site for the rest of the school year. Covington's electrical grid was "majorly hit" with telephone poles falling across the roads,  Mayor Jan Hensley said.

In Hardin County, between 15-100 homes were damaged — "some destroyed, some just damaged," according to Melvin Martin, director of Hardin's Emergency Management Agency. Three minor injuries were reported but no fatalities.

In Middle Tennessee, NWS will send crews to check on at least three suspected tornadoes that impacted six counties, meteorologist Alyssa Clements said. Those counties are: Lewis, Wayne, Maury, Rutherford, Cannon and Macon. There were reports of damaged homes and trees down throughout the area.

Two children and one adult were found dead in Memphis on Saturday, with their deaths believed to be connected to the severe storms. Memphis Police Department officers responded to a report of trees that had fallen onto several houses in Oakhaven. Officers and other first responders later located two children and an adult who were pronounced dead on the scene.

Shelby County was mostly spared the devastation seen in other parts of the Mid-South, with limited property damage. The county did experience significant power outages. Memphis Light, Gas and Water reported 40,000 customers were impacted by outages. As of 12:55 p.m. Sunday, about 7,300 remained without power.

Arkansas tornado damage

Wynne reported four storm-related fatalities, as damage was widespread throughout this small town in Eastern Arkansas. Located about 50 miles from Memphis, Wynne saw significant damage to its high school, with a shredded roof, blown-out windows and debris scattered throughout the inside of the school and the surrounding area. Officials are still working to determine where students will finish the 2022-23 school year. Countless homes and businesses were damaged by the storm.

In the Little Rock area, at least one person was killed and more than two dozen were hurt, some critically, authorities said. Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott said that 2,100 homes and businesses were in the tornado's path, but that no assessment had been done on how many were damaged.

Mississippi tornado damage

A gun vault and broken debris is all that is left of the home of Chad Mills along Mississippi 15 on Saturday, April 1, 2023, in Pontotoc, Miss. One fatality and four injuries were reported in Pontotoc County after severe storms, including a possible tornado, hit the area on Friday, March 31, 2023.
A gun vault and broken debris is all that is left of the home of Chad Mills along Mississippi 15 on Saturday, April 1, 2023, in Pontotoc, Miss. One fatality and four injuries were reported in Pontotoc County after severe storms, including a possible tornado, hit the area on Friday, March 31, 2023.

The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency confirmed Saturday one person was killed and four more were injured in Pontotoc County because of the storms. The severity of the four injuries was not immediately clear. Social media posts showed downed trees, blocked roads and damaged homes.

Damage was also reported in Lee County. Tupelo Mayor Todd Jordan said while there were pockets of intense property damage, only a few injuries had been reported after the storm. The city also said telephone lines were temporarily down Saturday morning.

In DeSoto County, the hardest-hit area was Eudora in the southwestern part of the county, according to the DeSoto County Sheriff's Department. "Thankfully no injuries reported, but lots of damage & downed trees & power lines," the department said in a social media statement.

The Tennessean and Associated Press contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Tornado damage updates in Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi