Small tornado touches down

Published 5:14 pm Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Tuesday night and Wednesday morning severe weather caused some accidents with minor injuries and a porch roof to be blown off a home.

Pearl River County has been taking a minor beating due to the weather. Other counties such as Greene, Lamar and Jones also have experienced the weather, said Emergency Management Director Bobby Strahan.

A funnel cloud witnessed by a Pearl River County Sheriff’s deputy who was heading north Tuesday night was blamed for an accident between the 15 and 17 mile markers on Interstate 59. Strahan said tops of trees were blown off in the area by to the funnel cloud. In addition there were three separate accidents farther north on I-59 due to falling trees between the two Poplarville exits and towards the Hillsdale exit, he said.

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The funnel cloud may be responsible for a porch roof being blown off a home last night on Sunshine Lane, he said. Strahan said he expected the weather to leave by mid-morning Wednesday.

“We dodged a lot of bullets this morning,” Strahan said.

Investigator Chris Lott with Pearl River County Sheriff’s Department said th department has received about 10 accident reports from 6 p.m. Tuesday to about 9 a.m. Wednesday as the weather battered the county.

Picayune Deputy Police Chief David Ervin said there have not been any accidents reported in the city since 3:50 p.m. Tuesday.

“We’ve had a safe night,” Ervin said.