The body of a missing 8-year-old Louisville boy whose parents were both killed by Mondays tornadoes has finally been found, officials said Thursday. Tyler Tucker is the 14th death attributed to the storms that swept the state Monday during what officials are calling Mississippis most active tornado day in history. Tyler was one of the smartest kids in his class. He made special distinction every nine weeks. He was in TAG (talented and gifted). He was in Melody Makers. They put him in mixed martial arts; he loved that, said Katie Ainsworth, the mother of one of Tylers closest friends. He liked to go hunting with his momma and his daddy. Both of them went hunting. Earlier this week Tylers parents, Terri Tucker, 31, and Sean Fowler, 44, both of Louisville, were found blown into a wooded area a half mile from their destroyed home in Louisville. In Tuscaloosa, University of Alabama student John Servati, a Tupelo resident, died in a tornado from one of the same systems that moved through Mississippi. His death means 15 Mississippians were killed during the storms. Ongoing National Weather Service storm surveys show what appear to be 15 tornadoes that swept the state during the killer outbreak on Monday. The NWS survey teams have been on the ground throughout Mississippi since Monday, trying to determine the nature and level of the storms that killed 14 and destroyed more than 1200 homes. At this point in the surveying, which is ongoing, the tornadoes that affected Vicksburg, north Hinds County, south Hinds County, Lake Caroline, west Newton County, Crawford, New Hope and Steens have been rated at an EF1. The tornadoes at Decatur and south Columbus were both EF2s. The tornado that hit Richland, Pearl and Brandon was an EF3, as was the one in Forest and the one in Tupelo. The one that killed 10 people in Louisville was an EF4. The Newton/Lauderdale tornado has not yet been rated yet. Other areas may still be found to have had tornadoes as well. I think were pretty close to having it wrapped up, said NWS Meteorologist Eric Carpenter. Mississippi Emergency Management Agency spokesman Greg Flynn said at this point in the damage assessments, 23 counties are reporting damage. There are 1,201 homes destroyed, with an additional 1,268 reporting damage. Eighty-seven businesses have been destroyed, with an additional 41 damaged. Another 69 agricultural facilities have been destroyed as well. At this point, there are seven counties included in the Presidential Declaration of Emergency for the state, but others can be added as further damage assessments come in. Flynn emphasized that its important for people who have damages to their property report them to their local emergency operations center and register for federal assistance. If youre in a declared county, register, Flynn said. We dont want anyone to miss out on the opportunity to receive assistance if they need it. Shreveport Times reporter Adam Duvernay contributed to this report.
Posted on: Fri, 02 May 2014 15:51:02 +0000
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