One dead after storms wreak havoc throughout the state

CRYSTAL SPRINGS – Authorities said a 21-year old man was killed after his car hit a tree that fell across the road during Monday night’s storms. Preston Duane Carlock, of Crystal Springs, was pronounced dead at the scene in the Hopewell Community of Copiah County.

Authorities said Carlock may not have seen the tree until it was too late as he was driving down Ruby Road.

CNN is reporting that the death toll has risen to six after fast moving storms hit the South with high winds, hail, lightning and power outages. Besides Carlock in Mississippi, one person was killed in Tennesse and four people in Georgia including a father and son who were killed when a tree fell onto their home in Butts County.

Unconfirmed reports said as many as seven people were killed in Georgia.

The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) reported that roads were closed in some counties because of downed trees and power lines and several buildings, homes and mobile homes suffered damage in as many as 24 counties.

Some local flooding also was reported.

Tree damage was also reported in Jackson when a large oak tree fell across two homes, and several trees were reported downed in the Puckett and Cato areas in Rankin County.

While meteorologists said straight line winds may have been the cause of significant damage in Hinds, Claiborne, Harrison, Hancock and Jackson counties, two tornadoes were confirmed in Simpson, Lawrence and Lincoln counties.

WAPT reported that an EF1 tornado formed at 5:36 p.m. west of Braxton near Barney Smith Road. It moved east through northern Simpson County, snapping and uprooting trees, some of which fell on houses, for about 8 miles before ending at 5:42 p.m., the weather service said.

A second EF1 tornado was confirmed in Lincoln and Lawrence counties when it formed at 5:48 p.m. west of the Ruth community and damaged a gas station, volunteer fire department building, a church and a number of homes, WAPT reported. 

It then continued moving east across southeast Lincoln County and into southwest Lawrence County ripping up trees and tossing them onto homes and vehicles. The tornado cut a 16 mile path before dissipating at 6:07 p.m.

Work crews worked throughout the night to clear any blocked roads and power crews were working to restore electricity to the more than 15,000 homes and businesses that lost power.