4 Dead After Tornadoes Rip Through South Bringing Torrential Rain, Wind

At least four people were killed in three states as the South was hit by tornadoes over the weekend, leaving tens of thousands without power.

Tornadoes were reported in Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina as a severe storm system bringing strong winds and heavy rain moved through the region on Saturday and Sunday. Two people were killed in Mississippi, one in Texas, and another in North Carolina due to the storms.

As of Monday morning, more than 32,000 customers in Mississippi and 4,000 in Texas were without power, along with thousands more in Georgia, Alabama, and North Carolina. Outages in Mississippi at one point topped 100,000, according to Republican Governor Tate Reeves. 

Reeves also announced that there were fatalities in Adams County and Lowndes County.

“The state of Mississippi will continue to monitor the situation and respond as necessary,” Reeves said Sunday. “Thank you to all of the emergency managers, first responders, and road and line crews who are working hard to help their fellow Mississippians.”

One church in Meadville, Mississippi, was almost entirely destroyed as a tornado ripped through. Two church members were inside at the time but were not injured. 

“After all this, there’s one bare spot in this church, about a 6-foot diameter, that has a clean floor,” one of the congregants of O’Zion Church who survived the storm told Fox Weather. “That’s where she and I were laying, in that clean spot. After it was over with, we stood up and …. we didn’t have a splinter on us. We didn’t have a speck of dust on us.”

In Texas, a fatality from the storms was reported in Brazoria County, which is located south of Houston. The Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that one person had been killed and four injured after a tornado touchdown somewhere between Liverpool and Hillcrest Village on Saturday. 

Footage posted online showed the tornado going through the Houston area.

???? New video showing the EF-3 tornado that tore through Montgomery County, Texas on Saturday.

Wind speeds are estimated to top out at 140 mph.

This video is from New Caney, Texas. According to @NWSHouston, the tornado was on the ground for just over 10 miles. @KPRC2 pic.twitter.com/cZcp2A2MiL

— Gage Goulding – KPRC 2 (@GageGoulding) December 30, 2024

Sheriff’s office spokeswoman Madison Polston told The New York Times that the victim was a 48-year-old woman who was found outside her home in Liverpool. 

“We rarely get tornadoes here in Brazoria County,” she said. “If we do, for there to be damage to this extent, or injuries, is also very uncommon.”

The fourth death from the storm occurred on Sunday in Mooresville, North Carolina. Law enforcement said 70-year-old Matthew Teeple of Tennessee was killed when a tree fell on his truck.