Severe storms kill 6 in Tennessee

In northern MS, a tornado touched down and stayed on the ground for 150 miles with calamitous winds up to 160 miles per hour according to the National Weather Service (NWS).

‘I may have lost some stuff, but I got my life’.

The storms left houses wiped out throughout the region as many gathered for celebrations on Christmas Day.

Barbara Perkins was told Thursday by an insurance agent that her storm-damaged home in Falkner, Mississippi, was a complete loss.

Residents salvage what they can from their home along Highway 178 after a tornado struck Holly Springs, Mississippi.

In the states of Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee, emergency crews searched the ruins of splintered buildings for several people listed as unaccounted for, while scores more people were reported injured throughout the region, Reuters reported.

The US National Weather Service said the storms are now moving east but have diminished in strength.

At least 14 people have died and scores of homes have been destroyed in tornadoes across six states in the US south and midwest.

The deadly spring-like storms killed three in MS, two others in Tennessee and one in Arkansas before the worst passed Wednesday night.

Before that, unseasonably warm temperatures helped trigger tornadoes and flash flooding in Mississippi, Tennessee and Arkansas.

‘This was just the right thing to do, come help a family in need, ‘ Shupiery said.

Several roads and bridges were flooded, he said, and it was impossible to determine if they were still safe to drive on, he said.

Officials say a 7-year-old boy died in Holly Springs, Mississippi, when the storm picked up and tossed the auto he was riding in. Among the victims were a 19-year-old girl and two 22-year-old men.

Of the six killed in Tennessee, three were found together in a vehicle submerged underwater.

Torrential storms dumped 10 inches of rain or more across parts of southeast Alabama, causing widespread flooding Thursday.

Mr Goodwin said he managed to climb back into his house to rescue some Christmas presents after it was knocked off its foundations, but that two of his neighbours had been killed.

The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) confirmed seven of the deaths from the severe weather that began moving through the state early Wednesday morning, which led Mississippi governor Phil Bryant to declare a state of emergency for affected areas.

Mona Ables, 43, was driving home when the storm hit.

Peak tornado season in the U.S. South is in the spring, but such storms can happen at any time.

Red Cross volunteers were working in MS and Tennessee Christmas Eve, WREG, Memphis, Tennessee, reported.