Tornadoes cause damage in Mississippi; trees down in Atlanta

YAZOO CITY, Miss. (AP) — Multiple tornadoes were reported across Mississippi on Sunday, destroying homes and uprooting trees before the storm system moved into Atlanta, prompting residents Monday to seek shelter in Georgia's largest city. There were no immediate reports of injuries.

Just south of Yazoo City, Mississippi, Vickie Savell looked at the remains of her brand new mobile home, where she and her husband had just moved in eight days ago. It was her first new home in 40 years, and it had been lifted off its foundation, moved about 25 feet (7.6 meters) and was completely destroyed.

“Oh my God, my first new house in 40 years and it's gone," she said Monday, amid tree tops strewn about the neighborhood and the roar of chainsaws as people worked to clear roads.

Savell had been away from home, attending church, but her husband Nathan had been driving home and hunkered down in the front of his truck as the home nearby was destroyed. From there, he watched his new home blow past him, he said.

Nearby, Garry McGinty recalled being at home listening to birds chirping — then dead silence. He looked outside and saw a dark, ominous cloud and took shelter in a hallway, he said. He survived, but trees slammed into his carport, two vehicles and the side of his house.

A line of severe storms rolled through the state Sunday afternoon and into the nighttime hours. Late Sunday, a “tornado emergency” was declared for Tupelo and surrounding areas. Meteorologists urged residents to take cover.

“Damage has been reported in the City of Tupelo,” the mayor's office said in a Facebook post just before 11 p.m. “Emergency crews are currently assessing the degree of damage. Please do not get out and drive.”

Photos retweeted by the National Weather Service in Memphis showed several downed...