Tornado destruction in Mississippi
(Image credit: Ryan Moore/Associated Press)

At least four people were killed and more injured after a tornado ripped through southern Mississippi Saturday morning, officials from the city of Hattiesburg reported on Twitter. Two of the deaths occurred in a trailer park, where impermanent structures offered less protection from the extreme weather.

The tornado struck around 4 a.m. "It woke me up and half the roof was gone," said Hattiesburg's Edna Smith, whose home was badly damaged. "I don't know what I'm going to do now. I'm going to try to get some help." Part of Smith's roof landed in her backyard, while the roof of her neighbor's porch shoved her car into a brick wall.

Hattiesburg Mayor Johnny DuPree declared a state of emergency as rescue efforts continue and 13,000 people remain without power. At least one local university has sent students home so destruction on campus can be repaired.

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Bonnie Kristian

Bonnie Kristian was a deputy editor and acting editor-in-chief of TheWeek.com. She is a columnist at Christianity Today and author of Untrustworthy: The Knowledge Crisis Breaking Our Brains, Polluting Our Politics, and Corrupting Christian Community (forthcoming 2022) and A Flexible Faith: Rethinking What It Means to Follow Jesus Today (2018). Her writing has also appeared at Time Magazine, CNN, USA Today, Newsweek, the Los Angeles Times, and The American Conservative, among other outlets.