Emergency workers in Mississippi surveyed damage Wednesday caused by storms that hit the southern United States a day earlier, killing at least four people, flipping over vehicles, causing power outages, and damaging several homes and businesses. Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant declared an emergency for two southeastern counties where officials say four people died in the storms and 50 people were injured. Thousands of residents remained without power Wednesday around Colombia, which is about 130 kilometers southeast of Jackson. Marion County emergency management director Aaron Greer said one woman was killed Tuesday night in a mobile home and a second woman died in a business south of Columbia that was hit by the storm. He said Wednesday that the storm's path was about a kilometer wide and two to three kilometers long. Summer Davis of the Jones County emergency management office said a man and woman were killed inside a mobile home in the Calhoun community west of Laurel. She said the storm damage was confined to a small area. In the neighboring state of Alabama, authorities said thunderstorms left trees and power lines down and flooded several roads. The National Weather Service (NWS) early Wednesday issued a flash-flood warning for parts of three counties in southeast Alabama. To the east, in Tallahassee, Florida, the NWS strongly discouraged travel and said several water rescues were in progress. At least 15 centimeters of rain had hit the area in a short period. To the northeast, most of the state of Georgia was under a flood watch as thunderstorms moved across the state Wednesday morning. Several counties in southern Georgia were also under a tornado watch.
