TUPELO, Miss. (AP) - Gov. Phil Bryant says the tornado that smashed or damaged thousands of homes in Tupelo also damaged 131 homes and numerous businesses in Lee County outside the city.
And the National Weather Service says it now looks as if that tornado was an EF-3, rather than EF-2. That’s still a preliminary status. An EF-3 tornado has winds between 136 and 165 mph.
Bryant toured storm-stricken parts of Tupelo and visited a local church on Tuesday.
He says the storm crossed parts of Lee, Pontotoc and Itawamba counties.
The latest figures for Tupelo show about 2,000 homes and 100 commercial structures in the city were damaged or destroyed.
Police Chief Bart Aguirre says after last night’s curfew officers are still working to maintain security and reduce traffic in heavily damaged areas.
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