Storms miss Miss-Lou; other parts of state see tornadoes

Published 12:06 am Sunday, April 25, 2010

NATCHEZ — Saturday morning’s heavy storms that worked their way across the southeastern states had a gap in them, and the Miss-Lou fit nicely in that gap.

“Adams County pretty much threaded the needle,” Adams County Emergency Director Stan Owens said. “It pretty much bypassed us.”

To the south, Pike and Lincoln counties saw heavy storms, and to the north, a massive tornado left a path of destruction.

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“They had a (tornado) touchdown in Madison parish that did some damages to some structures, cut across Warren County, made it through Issaquena County and through Yazoo City, and the property damage was pretty significant there,” Owens said.

The tornado that landed there will be considered one of the top tornadoes in recent history, Owens said.

“The estimates I have heard was that it was three-quarters of a mile wide,” he said.

Concordia Parish Homeland Security Director Morris White said there had been no reports of damage in Concordia Parish.

“We had some wind and a little rain, but nothing serious,” he said.

And while the Miss-Lou escaped unscathed, more than just property was lost to the north.

A twister hit Yazoo County, killing four people. In adjacent Holmes County, another person was killed. A little farther northeast, a tornado hit Choctaw County, where another five victims were reported, including children ages 3 months, 9 and 14.

In the Madison Parish town of Tallulah, the storms damaged a chemical plant, causing a small nitrogen leak.

“Adams County was very fortunate today considering the other events across the state,” Owens said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.