Tornado causes major damage in Mississippi as roofs are torn off and entire structures destroyed

Published: 05:04, 7 May 2026 | Updated: 05:28, 7 May 2026 Multiple tornadoes struck central and western Mississippi on Wednesday night, tearing roofs off of buildings and leaving residents trapped as roads remained flooded. Several people were reported trapped in the Garden City and Perrytown area of Wilkinson County, Mattie Powell, director of the county's Emergency Management Agency told WLBT. Two people were attempting to flee the storm when a tree fell, blocking them in, she said, and another family was left trapped near the Oak Grove Church.  'Residents state the trees are all around their home and they have no power and no way to get out,' Powell said.  At least one other family is also trapped inside a home in Franklin County, but first responders are having difficulty reaching the home due to all the downed trees in the area, The Natchez Democrat reports. 'As soon as we can get there, we will be there to help in any way we can,' Adams County Sheriff Travis Patten said as a tornado watch remains in effect in his county until 11pm. Across Franklin and Lincoln counties, 815 homes were affected by the severe weather, according to Mississippi Emergency Response Management. In total, more than 20,000 people were without power in Mississippi on Wednesday night, according to PowerOutage.us, which tracks outages across the nation.   Downed trees were hindering emergency response after a series of tornadoes struck down in central and western Mississippi on Wednesday The Carthage Police Department also shared photos of flooding and fallen trees in Leake County following the tornado on Wednesday A mobile home park in Bogue Chitto was also reporting heavy damage, Dark Horse Press reports.  Meanwhile, the sheriff's office in Lamar County said it was receiving initial reports of roofs damaged to Industrial Park, while the Carthage Police Department shared photos of flooding and fallen trees in Leake County, according to WAPT.  Volunteer firefighters are now reportedly en route from other counties to help with the storm response. 'The state of Mississippi is in contact with local emergency managers and first responders,' Governor Tate Reeves posted on social media, asking the public to 'pray for Mississippi.'  But schools in Franklin County have already been canceled for Thursday, as much of the area remains without lights and water. This is a breaking news story and will be updated.  No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.