This Drone Footage Captured The Heartbreaking Destruction Caused By One Of Mississippi's Most Horrific Tornadoes
By Daniella DiRienzo|Published May 17, 2018
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Daniella DiRienzo
Author
Though Daniella was born in New York and has lived in a couple of other states, Mississippi has been her home for more than 30 years. After graduating from the University of Southern Mississippi, Daniella began to hone her writing skills through various internships. In the years since, she’s had the privilege of having her articles appear in several publications, such as the Mississippi-based Parents & Kids Magazine. She’s also had the honor of interviewing actress Sela Ward for The Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Experience.
Over the years, Mississippi has seen its fair share of disasters. But in 2015, the state experienced a tornado outbreak that was one of the worst natural disasters in recent history. We recently came across some drone footage that shows the heartbreaking destruction caused by the tornadoes. Read on to learn about the storm system and the devastation left in its wake.
On the evening of December 23, 2015, the merriment of the holiday season came to a screeching halt as a significant tornado outbreak hit the Midwest and the South.
According to the National Weather Service, "a strong system with record warm temperatures along with impressive upper level wind fields provided the ingredients to produce five tornadoes."
A large EF3 tornado with winds of 160 mph was the first to hit Mississippi. It touched down in Clarksdale and spread across four counties. The violent storm killed two people, snapped trees like twigs, and destroyed more than a dozen homes.
Six counties were affected by the second twister. The towns of Holly Springs and Ashland saw some of the worst damage. In addition to several fatalities, the tornado leveled homes and scoured pavement from the roads.