Saturday Storms

Severe storms sent tornadoes across the state Saturday afternoon, killing at least 10. But Yazoo County was the epicenter of the wreckage. Four people died and at least 31 were injured in the county north of Jackson.

The tornado that hit the county around Yazoo City at noon left a swath of damage miles long, reducing churches, businesses and homes to splinters. The tornado moved northeast across the state, causing damage in several other counties. Five people were killed in Choctaw County; another died in Holmes County.

The wounded were taken by ambulance to area hospitals and at least two were airlifted by helicopter to the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson.

State highway patrolmen blocked the highway into Yazoo City allowing access only to residents. And the Mississippi National Guard deployed 40 guardsmen to the city to prevent looting and help with damage assessment.

Throughout residential neighborhoods, officials and volunteers with chainsaws cut away trees that still blocked roads so rescue workers could continue searching properties into the night.

"We still have people trapped in houses and cars," Gov. Haley Barbour said during an impromptu press conference in front of the Ribeye's Steak and Seafood, a demolished restaurant.

The governor became teary describing the damage done to his hometown.

"This was enormous. It reminds me of (Hurricane) Katrina," he said.

Barbour declared 17 counties to be in a state of emergency and toured the damaged areas in a National Guard helicopter, said Jeff Rent, spokesman for the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency.