‘We need help’: More severe weather headed for tornado-hit Mississippi

There is more severe weather forecast for storm-ravaged Mississippi.

Many in the state are bracing for another bout of strong” tornadoes, damaging winds and hail the size of tennis balls.

President Joe Biden issued an emergency declaration for Mississippi on Sunday, making federal funding available to Carroll, Humphreys, Monroe and Sharkey counties, areas hardest hit by a deadly tornado that ripped through one of the poorest regions in the US.

26 people are known to have died and dozens of others were injured in Mississippi as the massive storm ripped through several towns on its hour-long path Friday night. 

One man was killed after his trailer home flipped several times in Alabama.

“Only thing I’m looking for is some help. Just give us some help,” says Shirley Stamps, a victim of the tornado. “I know we all lost everything, we’ve got to start from the bottom. Please just help us out. Give us some kind of assistance right here, because it is so hard for some people that are not working, don’t have a job. Help us out, please.”

Search and recovery crews on Sunday resumed the daunting task of digging through the debris of flattened and battered homes, commercial buildings and municipal offices after hundreds of people were displaced.

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Deanne Criswell was scheduled to visit the state on Sunday to evaluate the destruction.

FEMA Coordinating Officer John Boyle has been appointed to oversee federal recovery operations. 

Following Biden’s declaration, federal funding can be used for recovery efforts including temporary housing, home repairs, loans covering uninsured property losses and other individual and business programs, the White House said in a statement.

The twister flattened entire blocks, obliterated houses, ripped a steeple off a church and toppled a municipal water tower. 

Even with recovery just starting, the National Weather Service warned of a risk of more severe weather Sunday – including high winds, large hail and possible tornadoes – in eastern Louisiana, south-central Mississippi and south-central Alabama.

For more, watch Euronews’ report above.