JACKSON - A lingering storm system that drenched Mississippi with Gulf moisture crept out of the state, but not before it flooded streets, roads and neighborhoods from Natchez to the Tennessee stateline and across the center of the state.
No injuries were reported during the storms that began Wednesday night, but Gov. Haley Barbour said the situation had deteriorated to the point Thursday to warrant his declaring a state of emergency in hardest-hit areas.
By late Thursday, most of the severe weather had pushed eastward toward the Mississippi-Alabama line.
The heavy rain prompted a flash flood alert until this morning for about two dozen counties in central, east and southeast areas.
The state of emergency declaration will "ensure that our citizens are well taken care of and that their needs are met as quickly as possible," Barbour said.
Barbour said all available state resources had been mobilized and that state agencies were standing by to lend assistance to local governments if needed.
In his declaration, Barbour listed several reports of damage, ranging from flash flooding to downed trees and power lines, in Adams, Copiah, Lincoln, Pike, Rankin, Simpson, Tate and Yazoo counties.
In Rankin County, Barbour said three subdivisions in the Richland area had been flooded. In Jackson, two television stations broke into regular programming to carry live reports as firefighters braved the strong current of a flooded canal to verify that no one was trapped inside a partially submerged vehicle.
Forecasters said much improved conditions were on tap for today.
While there were numerous reports of radar-detected tornadoes and wind damage to timber, the only reported tornado damage was in Lauderdale County.
The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency said a mobile home in Collinsville was destroyed Thursday afternoon by a twister.
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