Complex sentence: The small town was virtually wiped away on February 21,1971 when an F5 tornado struck portions of Louisiana and Mississippi, as 36 people were left dead in rural Mississippi in the wake of the storm; 21 of the victims were from Inverness.
Split into simpler sentences: The small town was virtually destroyed on February 21,1971 when an F5 tornado struck portions of Louisiana and Mississippi. A total of 36 people were killed in rural Mississippi as a result of the storm; 21 of the victims were from Inverness.