At least 14 dead after tornadoes rip through US on Christmas

Rescue workers and heartbroken residents sifted through what was left of homes wiped out by a series of ferocious storms and tornadoes that tore through swathes of the United States, killing 14 people.

Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant declared a state of emergency in areas affected by the storm, saying 14 tornadoes had touched down in the state. The springlike storms packing strong winds killed two more in Tennessee. High winds and heavy rain caused a large tree to become uprooted and fall on the house, trapping an 18-year-old woman and an 18-month-old toddler. Rescuers pulled the toddler safely from the home. Several houses on the block had been destroyed and partially blown into the street.

Three of the six people killed in storms that rolled across Tennessee were found in a submerged vehicle, police said Friday.

Green said she was unsure of whether any neighbors had been injured or killed down the block where several homes were destroyed.

The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency confirms the three additional people who died in Wednesday’s storm were juveniles.

“I’m looking at some horrific damage right now”, Luckett said.

Ms Hunt said she started praying when she heard sheet metal hitting trees. The photo shows what the house looked like before the tornado hit.

On Wednesday, two days before Christmas, the South woke up to tornado warnings and damage.

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

Edwards added that it was the first time since June 2014 that the Storm Prediction Center had to issue a “particularly unsafe situation” alert. Officials say they died in Maury County. “Suit up, try to cheer people up, and try to make them feel a little better with Christmas coming around”. I don’t like it. I prefer the cold in the winter, in December.

David Logan, the emergency management director of Barbour County, said: “Most of what we are trying to do is keep them off them county roads”. There’s water standing really bad.

On Thursday, the Weather Service said, “widespread shower and thunderstorm activity” are expected to move into the area early Christmas morning, with showers and storms expected to continue throughout the day.

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

MS authorities said some 40 people were injured and a 7-year-old boy was among those killed. “They’re not manufactured to withstand that kind of wind speed, so they become nearly like little missiles”.

One of the victims was a boy of seven, who was trapped inside a auto as it was tossed up into the air. Seven Mississippians have been lost in this storm.