Tornado 'Wipes Away' Buildings in Mississippi City

Authorities say two large tornadoes damaged homes and downed trees and power lines today around the northern Mississippi city of Tupelo, injuring several people—part of a new storm system following yesterday's fatal twisters. A local reporter said buildings in a commercial district in Tupelo were just "wiped away," reports CNN. Gov. Phil Bryant said an area around the town of Louisville also suffered "severe damage" from tornadoes. Meanwhile, officials issued a tornado warning for the area surrounding Athens, Alabama, near the Tennessee border.

People in the path of the huge system were on edge as the National Weather Service also posted tornado watches and warnings around Tennessee and Georgia. Forecasters said the system is the latest onslaught of severe weather that triggered deadly tornadoes in Arkansas and Oklahoma and have threatened flash floods, damaging hail, and dangerous thunderstorms around the South. (At least 17 people died as a huge storm system struck the central and southern US yesterday.)