Biden declares emergency for Mississippi after massive storm kills at least 25

President Biden declared an emergency to aid recovery and clean-up efforts in Mississippi after a storm left at least 25 people dead over the weekend, making federal funds available for a number of counties that were ravaged in the state.

Multiple tornadoes ripped through Mississippi on Friday, with state officials confirming at least 25 people killed with dozens more injured. One man also died in Alabama. 

One of the more devastating tornadoes struck 60 miles northeast of Jackson and traveled across the state, moving northeast toward Alabama. A map produced by the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency tracked the tornado’s path, saying it had received a preliminary EF-4 rating, the second-highest score on the National Weather Service’s tornado severity index. That means the tornado had winds between 166 and 200 miles per hour, according to the service. 

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves (R) said on Saturday that he had submitted the state’s claim for a major disaster declaration to the federal government, saying “the scale of the damage and loss is evident everywhere.” Biden spoke with Reeves, as well as with the Mississippi congressional delegation, saying he offered “full federal support.”

“Jill and I are praying for those who have lost loved ones in the devastating tornadoes in Mississippi and those whose loved ones are missing,” Biden said Saturday on Twitter. 

The federal emergency declaration will make available federal funding for grants for temporary housing and home repairs and low-cost loans to help cover uninsured property losses.

Forecasters cautioned residents to brace for yet another storm on Sunday night, with the Mississippi Emergency Management System warning that a “large portion” of the state faced the possibility of severe storms. It said tornadoes could not be ruled out and to expect damaging winds.