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Violent storm moves east across South70 injured as tornado sweeps through Mississippi town
NEWTON, Mississippi (CNN) -- A violent storm system made its way east across the South Thursday evening, having spawned 11 tornadoes and causing at least one death and dozens of injuries since Wednesday. A tornado swept through this east Mississippi town Thursday afternoon, hitting a Wal-Mart shopping center, a La-Z-Boy chair factory and several homes and businesses, authorities said. At least 70 people were treated at Newton Regional Hospital, two of whom were critically injured, a spokeswoman said. As many as three were admitted and 12 were transferred to other hospitals, she said. No deaths were reported, officials said. Crews were clearing heavily damaged stores that were filled with holiday shoppers when the twister struck around 1 p.m. (2 p.m. ET). Portions of Alabama, Georgia and Florida were under a tornado watch until late Thursday evening, according to the National Weather Service. The same storm system swept through east Texas, north Louisiana and Arkansas Wednesday, the weather service said. The system produced eight tornadoes, and nearly 40 areas reported large hail and wind damage. A tornado killed at least one person and injured 17 Wednesday afternoon in Faulkner County, Arkansas, according to the state's Department of Emergency Management. On Thursday, the service reported two other tornadoes in the storm's path besides the one in Newton. Newton Mayor Hamp Beatty said many parts of the town of 3,700 people about 30 miles west of Meridian had sustained damage. Gas, electricity and phones were out everywhere, he said. "It's pretty much a mess," Beatty said. Gov. Ronnie Musgrove declared a state of emergency and visited the scene to survey the damage. A curfew was set to try to prevent looting, and Musgrove said 20 state highway patrol officers were sent to help local authorities. "The big positive news is that there have been no deaths, despite of the devastation to the business areas, and most of the homes were spared," Musgrove said. Denise Smith, 28, was working in the back of the Wal-Mart when the "lights flashed about four or five times" and then went out completely. The store was packed with holiday shoppers at the time. "We didn't have any kind of warning," Smith told CNN. The tornado first blew out the front windows and then the roof began giving way. "I could see the roof and I could see it coming towards the back and all of the roof started caving in," Smith said.
She then "hit the floor." The store was completely dark, she said, and people yelled for help. Terry McKinon, who works at the nearby BP E-Z Stop convenience store, said he heard the tornado "rumbling and rumbling" before it swooped down. "Several small buildings were all turned upside down," he said. McKinon said other businesses, including a Sonic drive-in, were "flattened," and he saw a truck overturned on the nearby interstate. The Wal-Mart is north of Newton and the La-Z-Boy factory is in the downtown area of the city. Amy Carruth, spokeswoman for the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, said the chair factory is one of the largest factories in the state. "When the main place to work is La-Z-Boy and the main place to shop is Wal-Mart, when that area is impacted, it impacts the whole community," Carruth said. The mayor said crews were assessing the damage and the first priority was to get utilities turned back on. "We're just doing the best we can," Beatty said.
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