Officials count 1,100 homes damaged by Mississippi tornado

January 24, 2017 admin News 0

A car and house are damaged at the edge of a mobile home park south of downtown Hattiesburg, Miss., Saturday, Jan. 21, 2017, where one man died and others were injured. Four people died and dozens were injured in a predawn tornado that tracked across Hattiesburg, Petal and nearby areas. (AP Photo/Jeff Amy)

HATTIESBURG, Miss. (AP) – A tornado that tore a path across south Mississippi on Saturday damaged or destroyed more than 1,100 homes.

The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency reported Monday that in Forrest County alone, 411 homes were destroyed or suffered major damage Saturday, while 588 saw minor damage. In Lamar County, the twister destroyed or did major damage to 43 homes and minor damage to 52 homes. In Perry County, 10 homes were damaged.

Assessments show other storms damaged structures in Franklin, Jones, Lauderdale, Pike and Wilkinson counties.

Damage assessments continue, part of the process of seeking a federal disaster declaration.

Recovery efforts continue Monday. Mississippi Power Co. and Dixie Electric Power Association report that the number of customers without power has fallen to about 1,000.