Area escapes serious damage despite high winds -

Union Countians may have been caught off guard by the high winds that hit the area shortly before midnight Sunday. Warnings of moderately high severe thunderstorm and tornado risk had been predicted for days but this area dodged all but rain as the worst storms earlier in the day were south of here.

Emergency Management Director Curt Clayton said despite the high gusts he was aware of no serious damage out in the county, although trees were down across roads in scattered areas.

In New Albany trees temporarily blocked South Central for a brief time and a residence at 1016 E. Bankhead sustained serious damage when not one but two large trees fell on the home and adjacent vehicle.

There were some power outages until trees were cleared.

At least 11 were reported killed in Mississippi, including six people were reported dead in Jones County (county seat Laurel) and Jefferson Davis County (county seat Prentiss). Complete assessments of damage, injuries, and possibly other deaths in those and nearby southern Mississippi counties were still being done Monday.

There was also extensive damage in Quachita Parish, (parish seat Monroe) Louisiana, about 75 miles west of Vicksburg, MS. Many buildings were damaged there, and there have been reports of at least three deaths there. Again, the information from Louisiana is fragmentary.