Satellite images show destruction from tornadoes in Rolling Fork, Miss.

Satellite images before and after tornadoes hit Rolling Fork, Miss. - The Washington Post
Rolling Fork Winds gusted up to 80 mph while sheets of rain and hail the size of golf balls pounded the region. In the set of images below, Rolling Fork Elementary School can be seen in the bottom right corner with damage to its roof while surrounded by fallen tree trunks.

Rolling Fork
In the third set, the city’s water tower appears to have been toppled and heavily damaged, amidst a sea of rubble. By Blues Highway to the right, the Rolling Fork Visitors Center & Museum has also been demolished.

Rolling Fork
In another photograph, entire warehouse buildings that once stood in July 2020 are reduced to little more than debris.

Rolling Fork
Neighborhood homes were flattened by the tornadoes, displacing many. Sharkey County, which includes Rolling Fork, is a rural area of Mississippi that is predominantly Black. Three shelters have opened for those displaced from their homes in Sharkey, Monroe and Humphreys counties.

Rolling Fork
In a preliminary assessment of the tornado that struck Rolling Fork and Silver City, the Weather Service reported it produced that EF4 damage on the 0-to-5 Enhanced Fujita intensity scale, meaning it had winds of at least 166 mph. The twister crushed many of the area’s mobile homes, which are more vulnerable to destruction from strong winds.

Rolling Fork
“The loss will be felt in these towns forever,” Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves (R) wrote on Twitter. He later added: “Devastating damage — as everyone knows. This is a tragedy.” President Biden called the images from the ground in Mississippi “ heartbreaking” and spoke with the governor, Sens. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), and Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-Miss.) to pledge his support. Satellite images are taken from July 13, 2020, and March 25, 2023. Photos: Planet Labs PBC. NAIP imagery courtesy of the USDA Farm Service Agency

The latest: For some Rolling Fork residents, recovery from the severe Mississippi tornado damage is uncertain. Tornadoes are common in Mississippi— but not often this deadly. On Friday, devastating tornadoes in Mississippi and Alabama left behind utter destruction and killed at least 26 people.

Why was the Mississippi tornado’s size rare? It caused at least 25 deaths in the state along a path of 59.4 miles, according to the National Weather Service. Photos of damage in Mississippi show areas reduced to piles of wreckage. Here’s why Mississippi’s tornadoes were so deadly.

Are there any relief efforts? As Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves (R) issued a state of emergency, local and national responses have begun assembling in what’s expected to be a long recovery effort. Here’s how to help those impacted by the tornadoes.