The damage estimate from Friday’s tornadoes kept growing Sunday as cleanup continued. Almost 20,000 residents statewide remained without power late Sunday night.
About 6,000-7,000 homes in the metro area were damaged, and about 50 homes and eight mobile homes were destroyed, Hinds County Emergency Operations Center Director Larry Fisher said Sunday.
The destruction is estimated to cost $7.5 million to $10 million, Fisher said. That estimate is up from the $7 million figure he estimated Saturday.
Fisher also said an unknown number of the county’s 62 warning sirens were inoperable Friday and did not alert people to the quick-moving storm. The sirens were sounded twice to warn of possible tornadoes, but Fisher said the weather-alert system needs about a $1 million upgrade.
