Moss Point tornado causes widespread damage and traps 8 people inside a MS Coast bank

A tornado tore through Moss Point on Monday afternoon, damaging roofs, downing power lines and trapping eight people inside a bank.

It ripped roofs off of First Baptist Church and Moss Point High School’s gym, Mayor Billy Knight said. No deaths were immediately reported, and Knight said the eight people trapped inside Merchants & Marine Bank were able to escape safely. Sheriff’s deputies are currently searching cars and buildings for damage and people who may be hurt.

“Power lines are down and leaning everywhere,” Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter said. He said there were a few injuries but ambulances arrived to treat them.

The tornado moved in a straight line, Ledbetter said, first hitting near Moss Point High School then barreling southeast down Main Street, tearing apart buildings in its path. He said the front porch of M&M Bank collapsed and the building sustained “heavy roof damage.”

Some buildings were untouched, Ledbetter said, but for others, “you have total losses.”

Knight also said the high school’s administrative office and the press box at its football stadium are damaged, as well as homes in the surrounding areas. The city is still assessing the destruction, but Main Street appeared to take the brunt of the tornado’s force, and downtown, near City Hall, seemed spared.

The Moss Point Police Department said on Facebook that several roads were impassable because of standing water, downed trees and power lines. Moss Point Police Chief Brandon Ashley could not immediately be reached Monday afternoon.

Knight said he plans to issue an emergency declaration on Tuesday.

The storm left 6,000 people without power in Jackson County, mostly in Moss Point and Gautier. Heat advisories are in place for Hancock, Harrison and Jackson counties, which increases the danger of those outages for people who now may not have air conditioning.

The tornado was first spotted near Moss Point around 3 p.m. The storm had been moving east at 25 mph.

Daniel Shaw, a storm chaser currently in the area, posted photos on Twitter that showed downed power lines and roofs ripped from homes in the Mississippi Coast city.

Officials said help and shelter would be available at the Pelican Landing convention center for anyone affected by the tornado who needs Red Cross assistance.

The Jackson County Sheriff’s Department urged residents to stay off the road, and said several roads are closed and anyone traveling north on Telephone Road would be redirected to go east on Jefferson Street.

The tornado warning has been cancelled, but severe weather warnings persisted in several areas. The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning for Pascagoula, Gautier and Moss Point until 6:15 p.m. Hail has been reported in Ocean Springs, Waveland and Pass Christian.

Harrison County is under a severe thunderstorm warning until 6:45 p.m. Pascagoula, Gautier and Ocean Springs were under a severe thunderstorm warning until 4:30 p.m.

The severe weather hit Jackson County after multiple tornadoes barreled through central Mississippi. A tornado in Jasper County killed one and injured two dozen others overnight, the Associated Press reported.

This is a developing story and will be updated.