The tornado that struck Tupelo, Miss., probably did tens of millions of dollars in damage — and it’s a miracle that more people didn’t die, the mayor said Tuesday.
The only storm death in the Tupelo area on Monday was in a weather-related car crash just south of the city. Seven people died in tornadoes across Mississippi on the second day of a twister outbreak that has killed 28 people.
“The fact that there were not more casualties is just a miracle of God,” Jason Shelton, the Tupelo mayor, told The Weather Channel. “We’re very fortunate.”
Shelton said that people there stayed safe because the storm hit during the workday, when they could take shelter in restaurants and at work. Injuries included broken bones, but most are not life-threatening, he said.
Still, the mayor said, some homes and businesses were destroyed.