About 50 homes were damaged in neighboring Marion County. Uprooted trees and downed power lines were strewn across much of the region, especially around Hattiesburg, a town of 42,000 that is home to the University of Southern Mississippi, said Amy Bissell, a spokeswoman for the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency. Favre lives near Hattiesburg and said he heard winds that sounded like a train before the storm hit. I feared for our lives. In Louisiana, downed trees and power lines were reported across the central portion of the state, said emergency spokesman Thompson.
Spring marks the beginning of tornado season across the southeastern United States.
In an average year, about 1,000 tornadoes are reported across the United States, resulting in 80 deaths and over 1,500 injuries.