Daily Mississippian

Media Credit: Michael Barron [Click to enlarge]

A tornado ripped through northeast Lafayette County late Tuesday evening, causing heavy destruction of buildings in and near the industrial park and severe damage at the Caterpillar plant, where a chemical and water leak is continuing to be cleaned up.

The most damage in the Oxford area was reported near Abbeville. Search and rescue teams there needed chainsaws to move from one house to another while they searched each residence. A church on County Road 101 and several residences in the area were also flattened, according to reports from the National Weather Service.

Elsewhere in Lafayette County, Lloyd Oliphant, president of the Lafayette County Board of Supervisors, reported two minor injuries that were taken care of on the scene and a broken femur patient who had been transferred to Baptist Memorial as of 9:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Oliphant saw the funnel cloud touch down and described it as "a scary thing."

Residents along Anderson Road in Oxford also watched a funnel cloud form and said it lit up the sky with neon colors of blue, purple and orange.

Chemical leaks combined with water leaks at the Caterpillar plant caused the local HAZMAT team to quarantine the area and clean up any hazardous material that could occur from an adverse chemical reaction, Oliphant said.

Ken Harrelson, a Caterpillar employee, said that from the front view of the Caterpillar plant about half of the building appeared to have been destroyed.

Caterpillar plant employees took shelter in bathrooms and storm shelters, said employee Vicki Massey.

Massey said she stayed in the bathroom for a long time before the tornado actually hit and had to wait several hours to evacuate the destruction area.

Concern amongst fellow employees was largely about when they would be able to return to work, Massey said.

Other buildings that sustained heavy damage in the area included the Allies Industries building and a county building that was completely destroyed.

Only minor injuries were reported at any of the industrial park disaster sites as of Daily Mississippian press time at 2 a.m. Wednesday.

Radio communication between emergency crews reported bulldozers and backhoes were needed to clear debris around the industrial park, and that crews needed chainsaws to clear fallen trees in the road.

Fire officials were also worried about Highway 7 road damage four miles north of Lafayette County into Marshall County. The storms associated with the system continued beyond press time, but Lafayette County Emergency Management Supervisor Jimmy Allgood said late Tuesday night his team was well aware of their potential and ready to handle situations as they arise.

Allgood said local officials were starting to assess damage. They will conduct a grid search throughout the night, and today a flyover will give an aerial view of the damage.

Once the path of destruction is established, emergency crews will search any areas that may have been left off the grid search.

The tornado's strength category had not yet been established at press time. Oliphant said damage assessment crews will look at the destruction at daylight to establish the force of the tornado.

At Ole Miss, an emergency text message was sent out around 7 p.m. Tuesday canceling classes for the rest of the night. At approximately 6 p.m. tornado sirens around campus signaled students and faculty members to take shelter from severe weather.

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