Powerful Storm Rages Over South

Armed with chain saws and shovels, residents began cleaning up Friday from a massive storm that injured more than 20 people and destroyed or damaged 120 homes.

The storm moved across the state Thursday night, snapping trees at midtrunk and leaving utility lines dangling across streets. At one point 7,500 people were without power, but that was down to about 700 by Friday.

The storm moved east Friday, destroying at least two homes in west-central Alabama, officials said. A tornado was spotted in that area but no injuries were reported.

The most severe damage was in this Mississippi town about 10 miles east of Jackson. Weather forecasters said it probably was hit by a tornado similar to the one that ripped through here 11 years ago, killing eight people.

“There must be a magnet around here,” said Lady Margaret Townsend, who has lived in Brandon since 1987.

The storm ripped off sections of the roof of Brandon Elementary School, allowing rain to pour into classrooms and damage computers and books. Officials said many of the 1,000 students would have to finish the final four weeks of the semester elsewhere.

James Warrington, who lost two sons in the 1992 storm, used plastic to temporarily patch up sections of his home.

“It tore out two parts of our roof,” he said. “But we were luckier than our neighbors. It’s a real mess out here.”

Mississippi Gov. Ronnie Musgrove declared a state of emergency in three counties in the Jackson area and a county in southern Mississippi, where homes and a football stadium were damaged.